


Home: A Carmen Sandiego Fan Fiction //Book One//

by Pug_Moneyz55



Series: Carmen Sandiego: Home [1]
Category: Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: Angst, Escape, Family, Fear, Gen, Home, Memories, Mindwipe, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego - Freeform, carmen sandiego - Freeform, fan fiction, vile - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:41:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 43
Words: 29,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24061531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pug_Moneyz55/pseuds/Pug_Moneyz55
Summary: Carmen Sandiego isn't afraid of sacrificing herself for her family and for the world that she loves so dearly. So when VILE is planning something that harms one of the two, she takes an unimaginable risk and puts her life on the line-which just so happens to be held by VILE itself. Carmen is thrown into a world of pain, fear, and is plagued by uncertainty. Who is she, really? Who will she become in this trial, and will VILE be the one to change her-for better or for worse?One thing's for sure: Carmen Sandiego won't go down without a fight.Takes place after season two, nothing that happens in season three will gave any affect or influence in this fan fiction.Show: Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?Disclaimer: I only own The Detonator and the storyline.Warning: This book contains levels of blood and sensitive topics (suicidal thoughts, depression, torture, death) that may be uncomfortable for some audiences. Please read at your own risk, and feel free to skip certain parts if needed. These things should be taken of note for any little kids. *10ish and under*Find Home on my account at Wattpad.com
Relationships: Family - Relationship, Friends - Relationship, enemies - Relationship, partners - Relationship
Series: Carmen Sandiego: Home [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1735885
Comments: 27
Kudos: 68





	1. Uncertainty

Carmen Sandiego ran her thumb over the block of wood for what felt like the millionth time that night. Again. Again. Over and over, she felt the tiny bump hidden inside a grain of wood. If she had had her gloves on, it would have gone unnoticed. But, thanks to her training at VILE, her bare skin was sensitive enough to pick up on the almost microscopic object.

"Are you still worrying about the camera, Carm?" Ivy's voice was quiet from the doorway.

Carmen looked up and frowned, somewhat guilty. She had promised everyone that she would at least try to sleep, but the knowledge of the hidden camera kept nagging at her mind, making rest impossible.

Ivy sighed and walked into Carmens room, sitting next to her on the edge of the bed. "It's late." She held out a hand, motioning for the block to be placed in her open palm. "You need to sleep."

"So do you," Carmen replied, but handed it over reluctantly.

Ivy looked at the wood curiously for a second before tucking it away. "Why is it bothering you so much? We disabled it."

"I just- I don't know really, but it feels like... like VILE is setting us all up for this grand plan, and..." She trailed off, rubbing her eyes. "I know it's going to be bad. People might get hurt."

Ivy's face softened, her eyes a bit worried. "We won't let anything terrible happen. And you need to go to bed now, Carm. I think that maybe..." She sucked in a tiny breath. "What you went through in Botswana a few weeks ago is still taking its toll on you. You need to be careful."

Carmen just looked away.

"Night, Carmen."

"Goodnight, Ivy."

Zack's voice rang from the main room, oblivious to the sad women a few feet away. "Night, Carm!"

She gave a tiny smile. "You too, Zack."

Carmen tried to sleep. She really did.

But she just couldn't.

The camera scared her. Not just because she didn't understand it, but because it was a sign that VILE had a new plan up their sleeve. She didn't know what it meant for her, for her crew.

And she hated it.

Carmen sighed and threw off her covers, padding quietly to the kitchen to grab a glass of milk and a banana. She took her food and climbed to the roof, where she sat and stared out at the ocean. The choppy waves were dark and ominous, but the moon's bright imprint on the water dulled it's spooky effect, scattering pale light across the wide expanse. The small stretch of sand below glowed slightly, and Carmen remembered that they technically owned the tiny area of beach.

Smiling, the thief gulped down her milk and hurriedly ate her piece of fruit, then shimmied down the side of the warehouse until her bare feet hit the concrete. She made her way to the edge of the water, toes slipping through the cool sand, then stopped before the waves could reach her skin. The brisk air made her shiver as goose bumps worked up her arms, but she just sucked in a deep breath and blinked out at the ocean.

The scent of salt was heavy in the air, and she walked further so that the waves lapped at her feet. She jumped back with a yelp, then laughed quietly and came forward again. "Oh, that's cold," she muttered, reaching down to run her hand through the sea foam. It tickled her fingers as it stuck grains of sand to them, and she rubbed the grit away with her thumb.

The crashing of waves against a distant rock drew her attention, and she turned to see what looked like a small cave hidden partially in the darkness. Its opening yawned open just a few yards away, and a steady stream was flowing into it, then back out. Carmen rolled her eyes, preparing to go back inside, but stopped.

It took her all but two seconds to turn back around and clamber up on top of the hollowed out rock.

Carmen found the driest spot that she could and settled down onto it, rubbing her arms absentmindedly. The wind was whipping through her hair, but then it suddenly calmed and a quiet settled over the ocean. She stared out at it, intimidated by the imposing watery darkness.

She waited for the sun to peek up over the waves, it's orange light bleeding a deep red that mixed with the blue to create pinks and purples and yellows. Drinking it in for a second, Carmen stretched and went back inside, hoping to catch at least a few hours of sleep before her friends were up.

She could worry about the camera then.

For now, she just needed a break.


	2. Game Changer

Punch punch, kick, fake left, dodge right, spin and punch.

Repeat.

Carmen had fallen into a steady routine with training, and, despite what Ivy had said last night, she could feel herself growing stronger every day. It felt great to hit something that wouldn't retaliate, for once.

"Hey, Carm?

"What is it, Zack?" She asked, continuing to assault the punching bag.

"Player pulled up something on the hard drive the could explain the camera a little better, if you're interested."

"I'll be right out, thanks." Carmen pulled a towel off of a shelf and scrubbed her face, delighting in the way it scraped over her skin. She passed the bag on her way to the door, and stopped. Tiny rips covered one side of the battered red leather, allowing grains of sand to slip to the floor.

Satisfaction rose in Carmen. She was already a much better fighter than she had been three weeks ago, and her ribs had finally healed. Now all she wanted was to find her mother, and the chance to show Tigress how much it hurt to be thrown into a chain link fence. And then wrestled into the dirt. After barely healing from hypothermia.

Carmen suddenly twisted on her heel and round-house kicked the bag, sending it spinning on its chain.

"Whoa." Zack's eyes widened a bit. "And that is why I don't get on your bad side, Carm." He laughed a bit nervously. "What wicked emotion spurred on that?"

"Anger, resolve, and determination to get my revenge. Eventually." Right hand on her waist, Carmen popped a hip and flung the towel over her shoulder. "Now. Let's go see what Player managed to dig up this time."

"This is huge, Red." Player was pacing in his room, back and forth across the laptops screen. "The camera in that piece of painting frame was just a tiny part of a seemingly giant plan. VILE has gotten smarter since your last encounter with them, and they've come up with a way to bait."

"They're also after my head," She muttered, listening to her friends explanation. Not really catching on to his point, Carmen asked, "How are they baiting me, Player?"

He sat and placed his hands on the desk, his 13-year-old expression dead serious. "The camera that you found is just one of many. Intel on the hard drive indicates that VILE had been placing ones just like it it in other paintings, all over the world. And I mean EVERYWHERE. There's a city in South America with three historical museums, and the combined total of cameras located in that city is well over 1,000. Millions in each country, almost."

"What are you getting at?"

Player sighed and rubbed his eyes. "There is no possible way that VILE could have placed a camera in more than three-fourths of the worlds paintings in just a little over three weeks."

Carmen stood to clear her head a bit, her hands tapping her legs nervously. "That means that VILE has been doing this for... years now." She muttered, eyes narrowing. "Without letting anything slip until now. And its almost like-" She turned to Ivy and Zack. "Its like they waited until now to say anything."

The Bostonians looked to each other from where they sat on the couch, eyebrows raised.

"What if the Vermeer's had cameras in them?" Carmen continued, her mind racing. "VILE could've staged it all and allowed me to get away, thinking that I had won. But it was just so that they could've had more spies around the globe."

She screwed her eyes shut. 'Did I willingly give them the advantage?'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welp apparently this ones super short, too.
> 
> sorry (laughs nervously) please don't hunt me down.
> 
> Let me know what you think so far! I know its not a whole lot to go off of, but I'll try to transfer at least one chapter a day over from Wattpad.
> 
> Bye!
> 
> Have a Sandiegotastic day!
> 
> ha ha sorry I know I'm terrible
> 
> shoot me.
> 
> Also if you guys could point any spelling or grammar errors out to me, (also punctuation) that would be great.
> 
> kk im leaving now


	3. Trust

Zack glanced to Ivy, doubt written across his face. "I dunno Carm... It seems a bit extreme, even for VILE."

Ivy only blinked in agreement.

Carmen stopped her pacing and stared at her friends, eyes wide with surprise and hurt. "You guys seem less and less willing to put your faith and trust in me these days." She muttered.

Ivy instantly stood. "Carmen you know that's not what this is." She reached a hand out, but Carmen backed away before it could touch her shoulder.

"I'm not weak." She insisted, voice cracking on the last word.

"They never said that, Red." Player soothed from the computer, hoping to calm her down.

Carmen ignored him. "There's nothing wrong with me, Ivy. But, with last night as evidence, you don't seem to think I even know how to fight VILE anymore." She threw her hands in the air. "I guess I'll just give us all a break, then, if no one here wants to take me seriously."

The thief stormed off, her breathing heavy.

Her friends gaped after her.

Ivy sat back down on the couch, blowing out a long breath. She ran a hand down her face and looked to Zack. "That went well."

He nodded. "You can say that again, Sis."

"Think we should follow her...?"

"No." Player shook his head, speaking slowly as if thinking over his words. "Red needs some space for a bit."

Ivy sighed. "What do you think got her so riled up? It was really sudden."

"Carmen's been having a kind of a hard time lately. The whole camera thing threw herself and her sense of security off, so it must have felt like you both completely against her just now."

"But that's not-"

"I know. I'm just saying what I think Carmen is feeling at the moment."

"Fine." Ivy slumped against the cushion. "I'll go check on her later."

Carmen sat on the roof and dangled her legs over the edge, staring at the ocean. She had only been there for a few minutes when Player called her on the link earrings.

"Hey," She greeted quietly.

"Feeling better, now?" He asked, laughter hidden in his voice.

"Don't mock me!" Carmen yelped, continuing his joke. But then the humor faded. "I feel awful, Player. I completely snapped at Ivy and Zack, and I don't even know what to do anymore-"

"Whoa whoa, hey. It's OK." Player said calmingly. "Everything's OK. You're just tired, Red. Zack and Ivy know that you didn't really mean what you were saying."

"But that's just the thing!" She stuffed her face in her hands. "I did mean it, Player. Ever since Stockholm and then Botswana, all of you seem reluctant to let me do anything on my own anymore. I'm not a child, I can take care of myself!"

He sighed. "Red... we're just worried. You almost died. It was really close. You should've seen Ivy. She was scared out of mind, more so even than the rest of us."

"So you weren't worried?" Carmen attempted at a joke.

"You know what I mean."

"...Yeah. I do." She glanced down at her hands, which still wore her workout gloves. She hadn't had time to change.

"What I'm trying to say, is that you've gotta cut them a break. They just care about you, is all."

Carmen huffed, her nails digging painfully into her palms. "I just wish that they would start trusting my judgement again. I know I'm a little stubborn sometimes-"

"Understatement."

"Hey!" She gave a laugh to hide the pain in her voice. "Ok, I know I'm stubborn a lot. But the ravine was a freak accident, and in any normal situation, I'm fine."

Player muttered something in agreement.

Carmen stretched and rubbed her eyes, the sun flashing off of the waves and leaving a bright, choppy after-image on the inside of her eyelids. "If I promise not to do anything stupid or dangerous, will you tell me more about the camera? I have an idea that I think could be really effective."

There was a pause from his end.

"Player, c'mon!"

"Alright alright! Fine. But I'll have to be quick. Ivy's coming to check on you soon."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp here's more cause I want to get this fully onto AO3 as fast as possible :)


	4. Risk Taker

Carmen ran into Ivy on the way back in. "I need to talk to everyone. Meet me in the main room with Zack in ten, OK? I'm getting Shadowsan."

"Wait, but C-carm, I need to-" Ivy started, but Carmen had already continued to move.

She felt a small twinge of guilt for brushing off her friend, but there wasn't time for that. Where could she find Shadowsan?

Oh, right. She could just call him. He kept a phone on his person, after all. "What a new concept," She muttered under her breath, digging her own device out of her pocket.

"Carmen." Shadowsan greeted her. "Is something wrong?"

"No, we're all good. Where are you, though? We need to have a meeting."

Carmen could hear the question is his voice. "I will be there soon." The phone went silent.

She tucked it away and walked back to the warehouse.

"So... you're saying that it could be a trap." Ivy pointed out.

The Bostonian siblings sat on one of the red couches, Carmen on the other with the laptop on the middle table. Shadowsan stood behind Carmen's couch, his arms folded.

Carmen nodded. "It's extremely likely, yeah."

Zack frowned and blinked, confused. "Then why are we even going in the first place? It's just one painting, Carm. Is that really worth the risk?"

The thief sighed. "That's just the thing. It is worth it. To me, at least. VILE knows that I won't let a piece of history to disappear into their hands-"

"And they are going to use that to their own advantage." Shadowsan finished.

She looked to him, grateful that he hadn't said no. Yet. "Anyway, I'm putting together a plan. VILE is targeting the Mona Lisa next, either to implant a camera or to steal it. We can't let that anything happen to such a famous work of art, especially those two."

"And that's how it's a trap, right? Either there's already a camera in it and they just want you to grab the painting so that there's a brief window of time before it's disabled that you can be tracked, or VILE will have every operative on site, ready to jump you when you show up." Zack inquired, gesturing to the wooden block that held the disabled camera.

Carmen nodded, wincing slightly as she picked the block up and twirled it nervously in her fingers. "When you put it that way... I wonder why I would take such a risk, too." She muttered.

"So-" Ivy started, but the thief stopped her.

"Don't finish that sentence. Please. We are not going to let VILE get the painting in any way, stealing, camera, or other. That would be like-" She paused, struggling for words. "Like... letting them win. It would be small, true, but impactful. Also, they would just keep trying to bait me. We have to cut off the plan at the head, as soon as possible."

Shadowsan, who had been mostly silent until that moment, cleared his throat. "And I am correct to assume that by your usage of the word we, your plan involves all of us?"

Carmen glanced between him, the siblings, and Player. She nodded. "It does."

A collective sigh went around the room.

"Then let's hear it, Red." Player stretched in his seat. "We need to be in France by tomorrow."

The crew managed to find their way onto a plane to Paris by that night. Carmen stared out of the window, worry for her friends gnawing at her mind. She knew this job was a trap, and she didn't want them to get hurt. The only reason she was going was to have a chance at bringing down VILE, if possible.

She smiled sadly to herself, absentmindedly rubbing her thigh. She had gotten a special kind of shot there just a few hours ago, and if things went south, she hoped her efforts will have been worth it. Sighing and glancing to her friends, Carmen chuckled at Ivy's annoyed expression. Zack was asleep on her shoulder, snoring loudly.

As Carmen watched, however, Ivy's face softened and she ran a hand through Zack's wayward hair. Her eyes met Carmen's, and she smiled.

The thief felt her gut twist up, even as she smiled back.

She didn't want to lose her family.

Tucking herself farther into her plane seat, Carmen stared out at the dark, swirling clouds. If she was to go out, she would go out with a bang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tada!
> 
> Hope yalls enjoy
> 
> bye!


	5. Tables Turned

"Shadowsan, you ready?" Player's voice whispered from a tiny speaker hidden by the folds of the man's robes.

"Yes." He narrowed his eyes and watched the VILE operatives wearily. They stood about 25 feet below him, two figures hidden by the shadows.

"Hey," the boy started quietly. "did Carmen say anything... strange to you before you all arrived?"

Shadowsan blinked. "She did."

"What was it?"

"She made me swear that if there was even the slightest chance that I might be captured, I would run."

Player sighed heavily. "She made Zack and Ivy promise the same thing."

The ninja frowned. "That make it sound like she expects for there to be trouble."

"And like... maybe she doesn't expect to make it out."

Shadowsan tensed. "Player, call it off. This is too-"

He was cut off by the sound of a body hitting the ground. When he looked down, one of the VILE operatives was laying unconscious while the second fought with a young woman in a red coat.

Shadowsan almost yelled out to Carmen to get away from there, but he couldn't give away his position. So far, there was no sign of any more VILE, but that didn't mean they weren't there.

His grip tightened around the hilt of his new sword.

Promise or no, he wasn't leaving her here.

For a small second, Carmen felt confident in her abilities; she was doing good in this fight, and maybe -just maybe- she wouldn't have to drag her friends into something dangerous.

But that was one moment.

And in the next, people were pouring into the museum, some holding weapons and others chanting in unison, "World of hurt! World of hurt! World of hurt!"

It was a bit overboard to say the least, but it shot desperate panic into Carmen's nerves.

She lurched forward, aiming her grappling hook at a ledge some 25 feet above her, where she knew Shadowsan was watching the scene tensely. A flash of metal glinted in the corner of her eye, and it distracted her as she shot. The hook clattered to the ground, deemed useless as a VILE operative scooped it up gleefully.

Meanwhile, Carmen ducked and rolled across the ground, barley avoiding a dagger that would have stabbed into her skull. Panting, she glanced around. Where was the nearest escape route? If she just get past all of these people-

Her thoughts were cut off by a shrill whistle piercing the night. Voices instantly died as Coach Brunt moved to stand a few feet in front of Carmen, who stood, eyes wide. The woman laughed, a cruel smile twisting its way over her mouth.

"Well if it isn't Carmen Sandiego. Hello again, Lambkins." She gestured a hand at someone. Six operatives stepped forward, two holding Zack, two holding Ivy, and two carrying a box between them. "I'll make this short. I know that Shadowsan is here too, but he wouldn't dare attack when your life is on the line."

As if on cue, three guns were suddenly at her head, chest, and back.

Carmen gulped, terror and anger creeping into her head as Zack and Ivy stared at her fearfully. She blinked at them, hoping to comfort the siblings.

They only blinked back, looking apologetic, their eyes shifting from her face to the guns and back.

Coach Brunt continued. "I know that you care for all of them, and that is why I'm more than happy to cut you a deal. Either come willingly and we let your friends go, or we'll take you by force, kill them, and blow this entire building up." She gestured at the black box, which must have held a bomb.

To Carmen's surprise, the answer was already on the tip of her tongue.

Shadowsan froze when Carmen opened her mouth to speak. Would she say no?

"I'll come with you."

His eyebrows shot up, teeth grinding. That was not what he had expected.

"No!" Ivy suddenly screamed and threw herself forward, thrashing against her captors in a desperate attempt to reach he friend. Operatives were instantly upon her, pushing her back. "Carmen, please! You can't-" A gag was thrust into Ivy's mouth, then Zack's.

Shadowsan readied himself to leap down, but a look from Carmen gave him pause.

She was staring at him with desperation, a message flickering within her expression.

'Take this chance. Get them out, keep them out. Go.'

He shook his head slightly. He wouldn't leave her, not again.

Carmen's eyes filled with sorrow, shocking him.

'You promised me, Shadowsan.'

The ninja squeezed his eyes shut, but her face wouldn't disappear.

This wasn't just about the Bostonian siblings, or promises. Carmen didn't want to lose anyone, but she also didn't want to lose anything. If VILE did destroy the Louvre, she would never forgive herself-or Shadowsan for allowing it to happen.

He looked at her again, and nodded sadly.

She blinked, relieved. 'Thank you.'

"I'll come with you," she repeated, addressing VILE. "Let them go."

"Oh we will, Lambkins." Brunt nodded to one of the operatives holding Carmen at gun-point, and he slammed the butt of his gun down on Carmen's head. Ivy gave a muffled scream as the super thief's hat fell from her head, it's owner collapsing to the tiled floor in an unconscious heap-her body making a dull thump that resonated dismally through the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ha ha BOOM!
> 
> as always, let me know what you think, and please alert me to any spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.
> 
> Have a DOPE day yalls!


	6. Loss

Ivy stared numbly out of the private jet's window-one of many.

She had failed the mission.

And even worse, she had failed Carmen.

"Ivy?" Zack asked quietly, his voice sounding far away. "What are we going to do?"

She didn't answer. How was she supposed to know? There was nothing to say.

He seemed to understand, and hugged her tightly over the chair's backrest.

Shadowsan watched the Bostonian siblings silently from where he stood. Guilt was coursing through him at the thought that he had caused them this turmoil by allowing Carmen to be taken, and he couldn't blame them if they hated him for it.

He sighed sadly, turning away to glare at the scenery miles below as it blurred past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh...  
> sorry for the REALLY short chapter. Don't ask


	7. Fear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TINY blood warning in this chapter, just BTW

Carmen groaned awake, shaking her head against the ache pounding in her skull. She blinked wearily, glancing around. The room that she was in was pitch black, but she could still feel the shackles that pinned her to a cold, flat surface. Straining slightly, the thief lifted her head to stare at the shadows angrily.

"Well. Look who's up."

Light suddenly flooded the room, blinding Carmen as she screwed her eyes shut and bit her lip.

"Now now, Lambkins. We can't have you like that." Coach Brunt's voice boomed from just a few feet away, but it could just seem that way due to the waking haze.

Carmen reluctantly opened her eyes to the brightness. She found herself laid out on a white medical table, wearing a pale short-sleeved jumper -one that was almost identical to her black one, except for the fact that this one was much looser and not nearly as comfortable- and white socks. Gone as well were her hat and tool filled coat, but that was to be expected.

What worried her was the smaller table next to her. It's top held several pieces of medical equipment, each seemingly sharper and more anxiety-inducing than the last. She stared at a particularly savage-looking knife and gulped.

What were they going to do to her?

Coach Brunt stepped forward and towered over Carmen, folding her arms. She followed Carmen's gaze and laughed. "Scared? Don't worry." She fingered the knife's blade. "They won't be using this on you. This, however..." A small piece of metal glinted from her palm. "This has a different story."

Carmen narrowed her eyes. What was that thing?

The door suddenly banged open, and Dr. Saira Bellum strode in, closely followed by three possible VILE operatives, all of whom wore the same pale green scrubs.

Bellum smiled wickedly at her, holding up a hand to strap a new glove onto it. "I see that our patient is now awake. Shall we begin the operation?" She came around to the table and hefted the knife.

Carmen tensed.

"Ha. I'm not using this, Black Sheep. It will only serve to get in the way." The scientist set the knife down somewhere outside of Carmen's line of view, and instead scooped up a pair of long, shining scissors.

"Wait, we're not even putting her to sleep?" One of the younger operatives glanced between Carmen and the scissors, her hard expression softening with a glimmer of concern.

"Oh, no," Coach Brunt raised an eyebrow. "I want her to feel every second of this. Saira?"

Bellum nodded and squeezed Carmen's upper left arm, mouth twitching with concentration as the scissors neared, her glasses flashing.

Carmen's eyes widened with fear, and she thrashed against her restraints, throwing Bellum's grip off of her. "Stay away from me!" Her shout echoed across the white-washed walls, ringing in her ears.

Dr. Bellum only cackled and motioned with her hand for the thief to be further restrained by the three operatives. "Be still, and this will go quickly."

Carmen growled and snapped her teeth at a hand on her shoulder, which quickly disappeared, followed by a yelp. "Don't. Touch. Me!" She repeated, furious-and terrified.

Bellum sighed. "I guess we'll just have to do this less carefully." She didn't sound very sorry about it. Her hand suddenly lunged forward, metal instrument glinting.

Carmen arched and jerked away, wincing at the snip that sounded by her ear, but was relieved by the fact that there wasn't any pain.

Yet.

"Oh dear..." Bellum sighed again. "Well, I guess we'll just cut her hair, too." There was a pause. "Fine. Someone hand me the paralyzing injection. Hold still, Black Sheep."

Before Carmen could react, a thick needle was stabbed into her leg. She bit back a whimper as the sharp pain led to a buzzing that filled her body, and in less than 15 seconds she couldn't move, no matter how hard she tried. Feeling still remained, and she instantly wished that she were instead unconscious.

This was going to suck.

Bellum smiled once more, snipping the scissors in the air for dramatic effect, then lowering them to get to work.

Carmen's muffled screams quickly filled the room.

About an hour later, Carmen's bleeding arm was bandaged, and everyone except for Coach Brunt had left the room. Carmen lay shaking on the table, sticky hair plastered to her forehead with sweat. Tears pooled in her eyes as she forced air in and out of her lungs, wanting nothing more than to sleep-to not feel.

Coach Brunt fingered a strand of red hair, tsking. "I'll have to find someone to finish this. Really, Sandiego, did ya have to move around so much?"

Carmen's response was to close her eyes and focus on breathing.

"I bet you're wondering what we have planned for you with that microchip in your arm."

The thief didn't respond, her throat tight with pain.

Brunt just laughed cruelly and left the room, her heavy footsteps eventually fading away.

Fear suddenly flooded Carmen, and she began to sob. The shackles dug into her ankles and wrists, shooting lightning through the fresh wound on her arm. She did want to know what they were going to do to her, but HOW could she trust a single word that anyone said?

And in a building where they had mind-controlling equipment, how could she even trust her own judgment?

Exactly. She couldn't.

Knowing this, Carmen cried herself to sleep on that cold, medical table, cursing the walls, the needles, and all of VILE itself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAHAHAHA
> 
> Sorry, I just liked writing this part even though it's really sad.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed, and I hope I didn't scare you away with torture of the baby.
> 
> *Nervous laughter*
> 
> I didn't, right?
> 
> Guys?
> 
> ...
> 
> oof


	8. Guilt

Ivy sighed and watched Shadowsan leave again for yet another mission. He had been doing them himself for the past two weeks, and without Carmen, the siblings had been stuck at HQ the entire time. Player had been trying desperately to find where VILE might be keeping her, but without a tracker, it was basically impossible.

Zack interrupted her gloomy thoughts. "Hey, Sis. What do you want for lunch?"

She blinked. "Um..." Lunch? She didn't even want to think about eating right now, let alone food. "I'm not hungry." She mumbled.

Zack's eyes took on a worried glint. "Ivy, you need to eat. You skipped all of yesterday and this morning." He sounded almost offended.

Ivy just shrugged.

"Ivy, breakfast is the most important part of the day!"

"So what?!" She suddenly threw her hands in the air. "Every day that I'm eating, Carm is starving, or being tortured, or-or..." She stopped, biting her lip as tears welled in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Zack. I didn't mean to snap." She muttered, plopping onto the couch with leaden limbs.

Zack's chin quivered, his own eyes brimming with sadness. He sat next to her and stared at his hands. "I'm sorry, too." He whispered back. They stayed like that for a while, only taking comfort in the others presence.

Ivy wondered if her own words could be true. Was their friend OK? Was she even alive any-

She slammed down on the traitorous thoughts before they could progress any further. Ivy couldn't give up on the thief, not now. She placed her head down on Zack's shoulder, relieved to know that at least she wasn't the only one struggling.

Carmen was their family.

They needed to keep the rest of it from falling apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey sorry it's short and that I've been slow with updating, but here you go!


	9. Whispers

For hours, she sat in that dark room. When she awoke, her only emotions had been fear, pain, defiance. As if what she had been doing caused her to feel rebellious. But soon they faded, leaving her in the blackness. No sound. Nothing but the choking shadows. No thoughts in her head.

And no memories.

But suddenly she was jolted from the trance into a world of blaring noise and flashing lights, painfully aware of the throbbing in her arm and the banging in her skull. People circled her, some just faceless shapes while others glared at her with pure hatred in their eyes.

She blinked in terror as a glowing green helmet was removed from her head, a thought erupting into her mind. 

She didn't know where she was.

She didn't know who she was.

Her name flittered just beyond her reach, pressing against the after image on the inside of her eyelids. So, so close, and yet... 

Gone.

As if it had simply never been.

A fragment of nothing.

A whisper of the past. 

Unimportant...

And forgotten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and... this was ALSO short...


	10. Islands and a False Hope

Player groaned and thumped his head onto his desk again. He was starting to panic-obviously VILE would be on a new island, so that only left about... thousands of options.

Also they would choose a new place, but that still left a LOT of places.

How was he going to find Carmen, even with his skills?

He sighed and went back to the hard drive, wanting to chuck it across the room the room when more VILE chatter lined up with its data. They weren't even taking a break. It was like VILE didn't even care that they had managed to capture Carmen. 

Or maybe...

It didn't matter.

Because there was nothing she could do to stop them anymore.

"Player?" Shadowsan's voice suddenly spoke from his headset. "I just arrived at HQ. Have you made any progress on where VILE might have taken Carmen?" There was a quiver of hope in the man's voice.

"None." Player rubbed his eyes. "I've been searching almost constantly, but none of my ideas make sense, and VILE's taking special care to not leave any clues."

"I see." Shadowsan paused, sounding disappointing.

"I'm sorry, Shadowsan. I'm trying my best."

"And for that, I thank you, Player. That is all I will ever ask of you."

"Yeah..." Player frowned and stood, walking to his door. It had a world map on it, and it was covered in pieces of tape, push pins, and sharpie. He grabbed a pen and let it hover over the Galapagos Islands before putting an X over them.

Another place that Carmen wasn't.

He then x'ed out the Shag Rocks in South America, and Prince Edwards Islands, which was in South Africa. Ostrov Vrangelya and all of Franz Josef Land in Russia. The UK's Gough Island and Tristan da Cunha in the Southern Atlantic Ocean.

Player stared at the new markings, an overwhelming sense of loss surging over him. Sure, Carmen was a good eight or so years older than him, and maybe they had never met, but that didn't change the fact that she was his best friend.

She was basically his older sister.

And he missed her.


	11. Confusion

She still couldn't move her arm, and no would tell her why it hurt like molten lava was wrapped around it. They kept her in a small room that had a cot and a desk in one corner, a toilet and sink in the other.

No windows. No mirrors.

It felt like a prison, and she supposed that that might have been the point, for whatever reason she couldn't remember.

She still didn't know her own name.

The people that brought her food and clothes wouldn't answer her questions, at least not in any way that she could understand. They kept speaking different languages, as if they expected her to know them.

Spanish? Nope.

French? She couldn't understand a word.

Russian? Exactly when would she ever have had the chance to learn Russian?

Eventually the people seemed to get the idea, because they stuck to English. Which meant that they stopped pretending to answer her.

Days passed like that, or however long it was. It was the same routine, all the time.

Two meals, one after the lights turned on and one after they turned off. 

No talking or human interaction besides the usual.

What made it worse was the fact that she had no idea what she had done to deserve any of this.

She must have been a terrible person.

Coach Brunt turned from the screen as Dr. Bellum walked in, holding a notepad.

"Well?" Brunt asked, impatient.

"I think she's ready. Every operative who's talked to her reports that she doesn't remember a thing."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing." She confirmed. "Black Sheep's mind is completely blank. Her memories are gone."

"Well." Brunt muttered, looking back to the screen. "I'm glad it worked." The screen showed Carmen's cell. The young woman was asleep on the provided cot, her back turned to the camera. "What should I refrain from saying to her?"

"Names and titles, mostly." 

"I'll need something to call her."

Bellum sighed. "Then just come up with something, Coach. Make a new code name, if you wish."

Brunt's face twisted into a smile. "Alright. I'll go see her now."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Evil laughter)


	12. McKenzie Wolfe

A loud beeping forced her awake. She blinked, sitting up slowly, and winced at the pain in her arm. The gray metal door opened, and a tall burly woman walked in. She eyed the room before grabbing the chair at the unused desk and sitting down.

"How are you feeling?" The woman asked, getting straight to the point, it seemed.

She pulled her knees to he chest, mind racing. "Who are you?" She inquired, ignoring the question. Her voice shook, and something about it made her angry at herself.

The woman might've noticed it, because she smirked. "You can call me Coach."

"Just... Coach?" Something tugged at her mind. Strange.

"Yes." The woman's heavy accent made her think of the South, but then again, she couldn't really believe anything she thought right now.

She straightened up a bit. "Do I have a name?"

Coach nodded. "You do indeed."

She frowned. "Can... can you tell me?"

"I can."

"Will you, then?"

"Do you want to know?" Coach raised an eyebrow.

She stopped, impatience working over her. But then she paused. Did she want to know?

Yes. "Yes."

Coach only hesitated for a second. "McKenzie Wolfe."

"Are you telling the truth?"

"I am."

She blinked. The last name sounded a bit... familiar, but the first meant nothing to her. And yet...

This woman was the first person to give her any real answers. Maybe that really was her name...

"So, Mack." The woman folded her arms and leaned back. "I know that you're confused."

She- no, McKenzie nodded.

"Well, don't worry. Everything will make sense soon. For now, get changed from those rags and I'll get you some real food and water."

Clothes were thrust into McKenzie's arms, and Coach left the room.

She blinked again.

What had just happened?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> um... ur welcome?


	13. Detonator POV

The Detonator watched the auburn haired young woman nervously as she exited a room in new clothes. Detonator was the operative that had asked about why Carmen hadn't been put to sleep for her surgery.

Now the former Super Thief was a new person, apparently. Her memories had been wiped, her hair chopped to just below her shoulders, and she had been given a new name.

Carmen-now McKenzie-tugged at the seam of her black sleeveless shirt, her hair swept into a short, fluffy ponytail. She wore jeans and pale green converse, and a tight bandage was wrapped around her left arm.

McKenzie noticed Detonator watching her and gave a tiny wave. Detonator tensed and went back to guarding the door that she was in front of. She wasn't supposed to talk to the prisoner.

"Remember, Belle," She whispered to herself. "She is the reason that we had to leave VILE academy in the first place. Just because she can't remember anything doesn't make her any less of your enemy or a monster."

The words sent new resolve through the VILE operative.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it was insanely short, I'm sorry, I know I'm crazy.  
> BUT you might want to pay attention to this chick. She's important in the future...  
> Not necessarily book one. (Evil laughter)


	14. Change

McKenzie frowned and lowered her hands. Obviously, everyone but Coach wasn't going to talk to her. Honestly though, what had she expected? She had been holed up in a cold cell not ten minutes ago. There must have been a reason for that.

She turned to find Coach walking towards her with a glass of water and a pill in her hand. "Here. A pain killer for your arm."

"Oh! Thank you." McKenzie studied the pill for a second before gulping it down. "Wow." She breathed. "That's some strong stuff." The raw ache was already subsiding. Glancing around, McKenzie ran her fingers through the newly chopped ends of her ponytail. "Where are we?"

"Follow me, and I'll tell you."

She and Coach walked down one of the many hallways as the older woman told her about her past. Where she had come from, who she was, what she was like, what happened to her that took away her memory.

Even as Coach added more detail, McKenzie found herself pummeling her with more and more questions.

There was a disease that caused you to lose your memory? 

What did Coach mean by "you went berserk and needed to be restrained"?

And the most important one...

"So I didn't do anything wrong?" McKenzie's voice wavered even as relief poured through her, but it was short lived. There was a glimmer in Coach's eyes and a pause in her sentence, making her next words hard to believe.

"Of course not La- McKenzie. You were just a danger to yourself. We saved you."

However comforting the simple statement could have been, she hadn't missed the anger and guilt behind Coach's green gaze.

She decided not to let anyone know she had noticed it.

"Who- who are you to me?" McKenzie stammered instead, half dreading any answer.

"A mother figure." There it was again. The anger.

That didn't make sense. Where was her real mother? Unless... "Is she dead? My mom?"

Coach seemed to be taken by surprise by this, and her eyebrows shot up. "I..." She sighed. "It's a long story, one that will all be explained in time."

McKenzie tried to except that, but it felt wrong. Everything was starting to feel wrong. The color of her sneakers, the brightness of the fluorescent lights, even the length of her hair. This just didn't feel... normal.

But then again, what did a young woman with a memory-losing disease know about normal?

She glanced to the large glass doors. "Can I go outside? I haven't seen the... the sun for a while." McKenzie bit back a frown. She'd had to struggle for that information, what the sun was called.

Coach hesitated, obviously not noticing the blip. "I don't see why not." Was her eventual answer.

Suddenly there was a cough behind them, and another woman walked up. Her shock of white hair was a deep contrast to her warm brown skin, but it went perfectly with her large goggle-like glasses and white lab coat. "Coach, may I speak with you?" She glanced pointedly at McKenzie, her dark eyes narrowing with judgement.

They walked a bit away, the two of them talking for a minute before Coach sighed. She nodded her permission to McKenzie, who had been fidgeting by the doors the entire time.

Yes! McKenzie resisted the urge to give herself a high five. She blinked against the sunlight, a smile curling her lips, a motion she hadn't had the chance to feel for a while.

At least sunlight couldn't feel wrong, right?

You couldn't just get rid of the simplicity of the sun.

Brunt watched McKenzie as she walked through the doors, sighing. Dr. Bellum had just informed her that if McKenzie were to exit the building, the microchip implanted in her arm would activate itself. It would take 30 seconds to warm up, and then it would teleport the young woman back into her cell. The chip could be turned off, of course. The only concern was that if McKenzie was teleported, the electricity risked her mind wipe being reversed and her memories coming back.

Coach Brunt decided that it was worth the risk. It was eerie and frustrating to see the girl she had used to love as a daughter -turned enemy- as this new person. 

McKenzie.

She nodded. "At least this way, I won't have to pretend to be nice." She muttered, rolling her neck.

Dr. Bellum chuckled in agreement beside her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HERE IS ANOTHER UPDATE, PEOPLE.  
> DE NADA.


	15. A Painful Retreival

Blood warning!

McKenzie smiled at the deep blueness of the sky, sadness creeping in as she realized that she didn't know when the last time she'd had a good look at it had been. Coach had done her best to explain, but McKenzie felt that it was much too random of an explanation to make sense. I mean, sure, the disease sounded real, but the memories couldn't be just GONE, could they?

Why hadn't Coach tried to help her remember anything besides the basics? Why not explain why McKenzie had woken up in a cold chair, plagued by fear, and not given comfort?

Why-

McKenzie suddenly doubled over, her vision blurring. A terrible pain was tearing itself up and down her left arm, and nausea rolled up her. She fell to her knees, clutching her stomach and arm-as best she could with only one hand.

What was happening?

Everything was fuzzing up in her brain, muddling her panicked thoughts. There was a loud crack that rang in her ears, and McKenzie opened her eyes to find herself back in her cell. She screamed out as her skull seemed to burst, barraged by images and sounds. A girl and boy with matching fiery red hair, blue eyes and freckles. An empty casket. A Hispanic family.

A name...

And then as quickly as it had started, it was all gone. The river of pain and fear. The overwhelming confusion. Because she knew.

Even better, she remembered.

There was no McKenzie Wolfe.

Only Carmen Sandiego.

And VILE, who had tried to take everything from her.

Anger was boiling in her gut, and she let it stay. She would need it. Standing on shaky legs, Carmen dragged the band out of her now shortened hair and slid it up her wrist. The door of the cell wasn't closed, allowing her to simply walk out.

She was not a pawn.

She was not a toy.

She would not be used.

Not by VILE, not by anybody.

Brunt made her way to McKenzie's cell, wondering if the mind wipe still held. If it did, then they successfully turned Carmen Sandiego. And if not, then, well...

She got confirmation when she spotted the young woman stalking towards her, murder in her striking gray-blue eyes.

That was not McKenzie.

That was Carmen.

Coach Brunt sighed and cracked her knuckles, a bit regretful. "Here we go again."

Carmen felt -rather than heard- a snarl rip itself from her throat as she neared Coach Brunt. The world around her was focusing laser point onto the VILE staff member, and she didn't notice the blood seeping through the bandages on her arm.

Not that she would've cared.

She clenched her fists, teeth grinding as every step brought her closer to the older woman.

Liar.

Murderer.

Traitor.

"You stole me away from myself." She hissed, her pace quickening into a run.

Monster.

"You hurt me."

Bully.

Carmen was screaming as she reached Coach Brunt. "You hurt my family! You took me away from them!"

Evil.

Vile.

And then she was suddenly fighting her former teacher, the pain in her arm and the fear in her mind forgotten. They were in a hallway, and Carmen used the low ceiling to her advantage, managing to actually land hits. Coach Brunt was definitely bigger and stronger, but she was fast, and angry.

She was so. Angry.

The toll of the chip in her arm was effecting her, however. Her moves turned sluggish and a backhand from Brunt sent her sprawling. Grunting with pain, Carmen edged back to her feet, adrenaline helping to keep her steady. She arched back onto her heels, ready to leap-

Someone slammed Carmen into the wall, and pain spiked as her head smashed back.

Blackness poured through her bones.

Brunt watched as Detonator barreled into Carmen and drove her into the wall. The red head fell to the ground, her head making a hollow thump as it hit the tile.

Despite herself, Brunt winced as blood trickled from Carmen's mouth and hair, creating a small pool of red around her cheek.

Detonator stared down at Carmen, her violet-hued eyes angry and merciless.

Brunt smirked. "Go get some heavy cuffs, Detonator. I need to talk to my fellow staff members." The Coach chuckled and stepped over Carmen's crumpled form, leaving to find Dr. Bellum.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heh.  
> Sorry.  
> Have fun with this.


	16. Defiance

Carmen hadn't eaten in two days. She hadn't slept in three.

And she didn't really care.

An operative had told her that she'd been out for almost a week, time in which she could have used for thinking and planning, wasted. The pain in her head hadn't even dulled.

And it didn't make her as angry as it should have.

She flopped down on her cot again, ignoring the food on the floor, curling her knees to her chest. Ever since she had woken up, Carmen had been going over her memories, trying to make sure that there were no blank spaces.

Her name was Carmen Sandiego. She was a 22-year-old Latina from Argentina. Her father, Dexter Wolfe, was dead, which is probably where the name McKenzie Wolfe came from. She had a mother, Vera Cruz, who was missing. Her crew consisted of Player, Zack, Ivy, and Shadowsan.

VILE was her enemy.

Even if some things were still trying to come back into focus, Carmen had remembered her hatred of VILE as soon as she memories had cascaded back into her head-and it had stayed strong.

"I will destroy them." Carmen whispered, curing her fists at the pain in her arm and head, but also at her anger. "I'll get out of here, and I'll take them all down." Malice dripped in her voice.

The thief sank back into her thoughts, her mind falling into a numb oblivious state.

At least here, she couldn't feel anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ha ha sorry this is one is so short. By now you should understand that that's just how I roll, though.
> 
> thanks for reading!


	17. Hope

Ivy sat on her bed in their San Diego headquarters, Carmen's hat in her hands. She had managed to grab and hide it from VILE when it had been knocked off of the thief's head by an operatives gun.

The moment that Carmen had crumpled to the ground kept playing in Ivy's head.

She sighed and ran a finger over the hat's black band, almost glad she had finally decided to take the fedora out of her closet, where she had stashed it immediately.

Almost.

"Is that...?" Zack's voice from the doorway startled her, and she turned to see her brother staring quizzically.

"It's Carm's hat." Ivy said quietly, offering it to him.

He took it hesitantly, sitting down next to his sister and smoothing the red brim. "I thought that..." He choked out. "That VILE had taken it, too."

"No. They basically just left it."

Zack shook his head angrily. "Monsters." He continued to drag his fingers over the fabric, muttering curses under his breath.

Ivy watched him sadly, her mind straying to how long it had been. About five weeks had passed since VILE took Carmen, and with each day, it felt more and more likely that they would never see their friend again.

"Do you think we'll find her?" Zack suddenly asked, mirroring her thoughts.

"I hope that we do, but that's not exactly the same thing, is it?"

"No," He sighed. "I guess not." He went back to examining Carmen's hat, sadness filling his blue eyes. After some time, he asked, "Ivy, what if they kill her? What if... they already did? They've been trying to since they almost caught her last year in Poitier."

Ivy felt her soul wither a bit. "I don't even want to think of that as an option."

Zack looked up, blinking away tears. "I really miss her," he whispered.

Ivy bit her lip so hard that she tasted blood. "I really miss her, too," she whispered back.

"I just never thought that she would-" He stopped, turning to where his hand rested on the hat. "What... Ivy, there's something on the inside."

Ivy sucked in a breath. "What? Where?"

"Look, right here." He rummaged around with his fingers until they snagged on a tiny bump that was hidden in the fedora's inside fold. "Almost..." Pinching, he gently pried it from the red fabric.

"It's a tracker," Ivy noticed, her eyes widening with shock.

"Yeah," Zack muttered, turning the tiny box over in his hand. It was black, and about the size of two grains of rice. "But... we can't use this to find her. This doesn't help us."

"Well..." Ivy narrowed her eyes, daring to let herself hope. "Let's call Player. He might've known about this."

"I had no idea that that was in her hat," Player said, looking just as surprised as them.

Ivy blinked, her stomach dropping. "Oh."

"But, it might not only be a tracker. Because Zack's right, If that's what it was, it wouldn't be of any use to us." Poorly hidden excitement quivered in his voice. "You guys send it to me. I'll see if there's more to it than catches the eye."

The siblings glanced to each other, then nodded. "Okay. On it."

"Okay what?"Shadowsan suddenly said, standing in the doorway. He eyed the hat, then Zack and Ivy. "You... saved her fedora."

Ivy nodded, and Zack held up the possible tracker. "This was in it. Player said that it might help us find Carmen."

Shadowsan blinked, hope flitting over his face. "Really?"

The hacker laughed joyously. "Really! Get that thing in a package to Canada now!" His happy laughter faded, as if he'd run out of his room.

Zack and Ivy smiled.

"Guess we'd better find a box."


	18. True Powers of the Chip

Blood Warning!

Carmen lay on the floor of her cell, fresh blood pooling under her arm through the bandages as she shivered violently. Cold sweat slid down her back, which was numb and also heavily wrapped.

They had whipped her.

The day before she had found herself in a freezer until she passed out from the cold, like she had in Stockholm, Sweden, and the two days before that had been filled with rope burns and then needles. She could still fell the chill and the rawness of rope over the bite of needles piercing her skin.

Carmen almost wished she hadn't retrieved her memories.

She tried again to sit up and move to her cot, only to fail once more as her arm gave out, muscles and bones shrieking in misery. She thumped back to the cold ground with a moan of pain, her body quivering with exhaustion.

The thief didn't know what VILE wanted anymore. Why didn't they just kill her, already?

How much more of this could she take?

The door of her cell suddenly opened, and Carmen glanced up through her agonized tears. A dark, blurry shape dropped a platter of food to the floor before disappearing, and the door stayed agape, seemingly forgotten.

Carmen blinked at it in confusion, sucked in a raspy breath, and passed out.

Once again, she didn't know how long she'd been out, and, once again, she didn't care. The first thing she did notice, however, was that the heavy metal door still had not closed.

Carmen stared out into the hallway, relieved to feel that someone must have given her sedatives in order to stitch up her back. It was re-bandaged, along with her arm, which miraculously felt much better than it had when she was last conscious. She carefully edged herself into a sitting position, finally able to breath lighter. The food on the floor was long gone, much to her dismay, and her hollow stomach clenched painfully as she wobbled to her feet.

"Hello?" She whispered, her dry throat turning her voice low and crackly. Glancing around, Carmen took a hesitant step towards the open door and poked her head through the metal frame.

No alarm. She sighed with relief.

She started to make her way down the dimly lit hall, keeping her wounded back as straight as possible. The only sound was her own bare feet on the floor, and the silence made her suspicious. No had come to stop her.

Where was VILE?

Carmen eventually reached the main room with the big glass doors. She stared at them with bewilderment. They looked so much like the ones at VILE academy. Narrowing her eyes, Carmen pushed against the clear panels hesitantly. Again, no alarm sounded.

She frowned. "There's no way it's possibly this easy," she muttered, stepping out into the night. What had happened the last time she'd come out here, as McKenzie Wolfe? Something had caused her to... move? Travel?

Teleport?

Carmen turned around, surveying her surroundings. The building was a small compound -definitely smaller than she had been expecting- and it was partially hidden by tall jungle trees. As she watched it, her arm started to shake. She gritted her teeth, glaring at the bandages.

It was happening again.

The familiar nausea spiked in her gut, driving her to the ground, which re-awakened the pain in her back. Inky blackness spilled across her vision as a similar cold was dumped into her bones.

How was this possible?

How could a microchip in her arm physically transport her to a different location in the blink of an eye? The technology shouldn't even exist.

Then again, she probably shouldn't even be alive, either.

Carmen held her breath as waves of terror rolled over her. She just wanted it to be over. Finally, with a sickening crack, the thief appeared in her now sealed cell before crumpling over the floor once again.

She faded away for what felt like the millionth time, very sure of just one thing.

This wasn't going to end well for her, and she hated herself for it.

Carmen sunk into darkness.


	19. Nightmare

TINY TINY TINY blood warning, I dunno if you guys care or not.

PLEASE I really would love feedback on this chapter. Love yalls!

Carmen remembered everything. Not just her past as Black Sheep, and her adventures across the world, but also the hard things. The scary things.

Falling through the bitter cold air of Stockholm.

Watching Ivy slip from the rocket in Australia.

Gray unconscious in New Zealand.

And the sound of her own bones cracking as Coach Brunt roared her revenge.

Things like this had unfortunately returned to Carmen's mind, but only the true terrors were able to shove their way into her sleep.

They seemed to enjoy doing that.

Carmen POV First Person

I was tired.

Blood was darkening the bandages on my arm yet again. Of course VILE wouldn't bother to clean the wound. What was the point of that? I still didn't understand Coach's words, but I knew I should be afraid of what the implanted microchip could do to me.

If only I could get an answer from any one of them...

They keep me locked up constantly. Not always in a cell. Sometimes I'll find myself tied to a chair or another table, and I just lay there for hours. They don't do anything to me, but it is as if they want me to be afraid, to know that they could hurt me.

I do know that. And I am afraid.

The food is terrible, but that was to be expected. I try to eat as little as I can, not always knowing if there's poison in it or not. They can only get me to eat when the pangs of hunger drive me either to my knees or my feet, if that makes sense. Luckily the water is always cold and clear, a small mercy for me. It seems to be a victory most of the time, really. Better a victory than poison.

But I'm so tired.

Sleep claims me when I let it, which is often. I've gotten used to straps holding me down, and I don't even notice the rashes they create on my skin. Most often I dream of my friends, if there might have been a way for that night to have gone differently.

A way that kept me safe with my family.

Today is strange already. An operative wakes me up and pulls me to my feet. I don't argue, I need to save my strength. They tie me up quickly and scoop me into their arms, then run to a separate room. I don't know why the running was necessary.

Probably to jostle me for fun. Just for the heck of it.

I'm placed in another chair, and I've been sitting here for so long I wonder if they are going to do something today. But no. Apparently I was wrong.

Dr. Bellum brings out a metal box and opens it, revealing her favorite piece of mind controlling equipment. I don't care to remember its name, but I know to fear it, as well.

Fear is suddenly all that I am.

There are people all around me, laughing as I struggle. The helmet is placed on my head, my shortened auburn hair tickling my cheeks. I almost like it that length, really. But it can't stop the headgear from turning on, humming and vibrating a horrible feeling through my skull. I'm yelling now, but it turns to screaming as it heats, and I watch my own memories disappear before me.

Ivy and Zack, gone.

VILE, gone.

The several other languages that I speak, gone.

"My name is Carmen Sandiego," I mutter, if only to keep myself sane. "My name is Carmen Sandiego!" It works for a second, and my name does not disappear. "My name is-" I cut off mid-sentence, shaking. My whole body is quivering like I'm being pounced on and tossed around by lions.

My name.

My name is...

No.

It's gone, too.

I am no one, and no one is me. We are the same, no one and I.

Both of us are hurting, and confused.

But I am much more tired than no one.

I'm just so tired.


	20. Possibilities

Player scanned over the tracker codes just once more to be sure, and... yes!

There was a way to find Carmen after all.

He called Zack, his leg bouncing with anticipation as the phone rang quietly.

"Player, did you get it?" Zack seemed to know why he was calling

"Yeah, and my prediction from earlier was right, it's not a tracker. The chip that you sent me isn't the thing that you track, but the thing that does the actual tracking."

"What does that mean?"

"It's possible that Carmen put a tracker somewhere on her body that couldn't be removed easily, to leave us a way to find her in case something ever went wrong on any mission. You know, like that one in France did."

Zack sucked in a breath. "So we can find her?"

Player gave a Cheshire grin. "Uh-huh. I'm working on finding her general location as we speak, and then I'll pinpoint her. But it's gonna take a while, because the coding is slower and older than I thought."

"Why wouldn't Carm use more advanced stuff?" Zack asked, eyebrow furrowing.

"Well, it's pretty genius, actually. VILE wouldn't think that she'd use older technology, so their scanners must have not picked up on it. It just depends on how Carmen planned it all."

"So basically she found a way to hack VILE's system even after they've successfully captured her? That's just pure wicked."

Player leaned back in his chair, nodding. "She's a super thief. What else could we expect from her?"

"Not much, I think." Zack laughed. "Hold on. Let me tell Ivy."

Ivy stared at her brother, not quite willing to believe his news. "C-carm?" she whispered, her hands tight around the red fedora. She hadn't been willing to put it down for long amounts of time recently. "We... we're gonna get her back? Like, for reals?"

Zack just scooped her up and shouted, "For reals, Ivy!"

He continued like this, and Ivy began to sob into his shoulder. His laughter morphed into crying as well, and he sat them on the floor as to not fall. The siblings held each other, Zack rocking them back and forth.

"I miss her, I miss her I miss her ImissherImissherImissher..." Ivy hiccuped, her tears choking her voice. "I miss her so much. I miss Carmen."

"I know, I know." Zack hugged his sister to him, his blue eyes squeezed together tightly as he shook silently. "I miss her, too," he whispered.

Shadowsan frowned. "The Amazon Rain forest?"

Player nodded, angry with himself. "I thought VILE would have chosen a new island, but apparently that assumption was like, way off." He stood and went to kick his door, then returned to his chair. "The tracker is what we're going with, though."

"Are you sure we can trust it?"

The hacker paused, then dropped his head into his palms. "...No. But it's the only lead we have."

"Alright, then." Shadowsan sighed heavily. Then, giving a faint smile, said, "Thank you, Player. This has been extremely hard on all of us. You've done an amazing job." 

Player just shook his head. "Yeah, well, there's still the matter of getting her out of their base in one piece," he muttered. "But I guess we'll see. We leave in two days. I suggest you start scraping together a plan while I work out a few things."


	21. Useless Fire

Carmen had managed to get outside four times in the past week or so, and she had finally realized the microchip activated itself 30 seconds after she left the building. Every time the door was purposely left open to taunt her, or she slipped past the person who brought her food, no one would stop her from running to the doors. And why would they? She had no way of escaping.

They controlled how far she went.

Carmen growled at the VILE operative now standing in front of her. They had come to take her to yet another torture session.

"Glad to see that you still have some fire. You're going to need it for today." They laughed and motioned for her to stand. "Come, miss. It's time."

"Time for what?" Carmen demanded, rising to her feet.

They smiled wickedly and walked out of the cell, not even bothering to check that she followed. They knew that she would. "The shocking truth."


	22. Bostonians in Brazil

Ivy stared at the dense jungle through the lenses of her binoculars, sighing sadly. Carmen had always wanted to explore the Amazon Rain Forest, the only thing ever stopping her being the fact that Argentina was so close, and they didn't really have the time.

If only they had gotten the chance before-

"Hey," Zack suddenly said, interrupting her thoughts. "You're not having doubts about the mission, are you?"

Ivy hurriedly shook her head. "I just can't really believe that we're getting Carm back, you know?" She paused. "Actually, I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't terrified about this whole thing, it's just that I've almost gotten used to missing her."

Zack's face softened. "I get that, Sis. But don't worry. Neither of us will have to miss her for much longer." He turned back to the narrow road in front of him, his knuckles whitening as he gripped the steering wheel. "I just hope that she's... alive, in one piece."

"You were going to say 'I hope she's OK', weren't you?" She whispered sadly.

He sighed. "Yeah, I was. But I think that might be too much to wish for."

Player's voice cut through the thick, gloomy silence that followed Zack's statement. "Stay on the path that you're on, Zack. You should be able to reach the compound a bit after night fall. Oh- and, Shadowsan?"

The ninja looked up from where he sat in the backseat, his normally stormy expression unusually dull.

The hacker's voice had a hint of joy in it. "Be ready to kick some serious VILE butt."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SO SORRY.   
> I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE EASY TO UPDAYE EVERYDAY BECAUSE THE BOOK IS ALREADY FREAKING DONW BUT NO-  
> ACK


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blood Warning

Carmen was lead into a white room so large that it must have been underground. In the middle stood a small, circular tube-like cell that was made of glass panels and stretched about ten feet tall. It held a metal chair that was terrifyingly similar to the one that she had woken up in after being mind-wiped, and thin wires coursed along the legs and arm rests, disappearing into the floor.

The thief didn't resist as she was dumped into that chair and strapped down with tight rope. The VILE operative may have said that still had some fire left, but she realized now that it had all been an act on her part. The only hope left in her body was used for wishing that they would just kill her. Death would be easier than the darkness she felt creeping into her head, the madness that she sensed...

Even the sight of Coach Brunt couldn't trigger any panic. Why was she standing there? Didn't she have a purpose here?

"How much longer do I have to wait?" Carmen asked. "You know you want to do it."

Brunt laughed coldly. "Maybe so, Lambkins. But not yet. Not quite yet."

She sighed and sagged further into her restraints.

Dr. Bellum walked into the massive room, holding a remote and a roll of gauze. "Is she ready for interrogation, Coach Brunt? Or should we go straight to using the chair?"

Carmen interrupted Brunt with a bitter laugh. "Interrogation? Really? Since when has VILE ever bothered with something as mundane as that?"

Bellum chuckled lightly. "Who ever said anything about this being mundane, Black Sheep?" She waved the remote around threateningly.

Despite her lack of will to continue breathing, Carmen found herself shaking as Bellum tore off a strip of the gauze. Obviously they had more plans to hurt her, if they would need the use of bandages. But, then again, VILE didn't really seem to care about her well being.

And anyway, she was a bit more focused on the fact that they wanted to interrogate her.

That definitely wasn't VILE's style.

"Alright." Brunt settled into her own chair, crossing her burly arms over her chest. "Here's how this is going to work. We've got three questions for you. Answer them correctly and truthfully, and we'll give you a question of your own. Clear?"

"Crystal," the red head mumbled sorrowfully.

"Ok, then," Bellum stepped forward and lowered her face inches away from Carmen's. "Are you really working with Chase Devineaux and ACME?"

Carmen blinked in confusion, then barked a harsh laugh. "Is that really what you think?"

Bellum blinked right back, a bit surprised by the sudden outburst. She then growled in annoyance and pressed a small button on her remote. Carmen stopped laughing with a grunt and gritted her teeth, eyes clouding over slightly with pain.

"Now, since you didn't like that one," Coach Brunt smirked. "tell me this. Where might one locate your HQ?"

Carmen just laughed again, once again stopping as the chair shocked her. "Like I would ever tell you that," she said angrily between her teeth.

Brunt shrugged. "Thought I might at least try. Anyway, Dr. Bellum's got the real one. Saira?"

Bellum gave a wicked smile, her glasses glinting menacingly. "Yes, indeed." She tapped her chin, as if thinking. "Black Sheep, how much do you care about those two operatives of yours? The Bostonians?"

Carmen's head snapped up. "What did you just say?"

The scientist's smile grew. "It'd be a shame if you had managed to grow attached to them."

"What did you do DO to them?!" Carmen shouted, her voice echoing loudly as she yanked at the straps on her arms.

"Now, Lambkins. If you don't cooperate and calm down-"

"TELL ME!"

Brunt just sighed in an effort to sound exasperated, but it was obvious that she was more than happy with the way Carmen was reacting. "We'll come back later with a calming agent. Saira? Would you like to do the honors?"

Dr. Bellum stepped forward and tilted Carmen's head towards her, yanking her hand away when the thief snapped her teeth aggressively. "My, my. Now, Black Sheep, do try to be more helpful when you wake up." She was still smiling as she hefted the remote.

"Wait," Coach Brunt stood. "Let me tell her something, first. A little something for her to chew on later." She turned to Carmen, eyes merciless and mocking, filled with laughter. "You're wondering about the Bostonian siblings? Well, don't worry. They're dead."

A bright jolt ran through Carmen's body, and the world went dark.

She couldn't tell how long it had been, but she did know that something was wrong. Carmen looked down at herself...

And doubled over painfully, feeling sick.

The wound on her left arm was magically healed, and it wasn't the source of this newfound pain. No, that was now nothing more than a throbbing, blistered scar. Still, better a scar than open and raw. Instead, deeply red stained bandages were wrapped around her stomach, and she could feel at least three new bleeding grooves in the flesh of her abdomen.

What did VILE do this time?

Carmen glanced up, the sudden memory of what Brunt had said beating back the pain with panic. Zack and Ivy were...

She felt a roar tear itself from her throat, and ignored the nauseating pain to thrash against her bonds. Rage was quickly replacing the bleakness in her mind. If they had so much as touched her family-

The straps fell away and the door's of both the glass cell and the main room slammed open.

Carmen was up before she had even decided to be, or to think about why they had freed her so suddenly. She needed to get out of here. An idea was forming in her head as she pushed down dizziness and sour nausea to run/hobble through the dark halls. It was very likely that it wouldn't even work, but still. It needed to be tested.

If she could just get far enough away from the building within 30 seconds, maybe the microchip wouldn't work. Maybe she could find out for herself if they were alive or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, on that note, I have a strange request for you guys. Go pull up YouTube and listen to the following-
> 
> Freaks: by Jordan Clarke
> 
> Blood//Water: by Grandson
> 
> I Love You: by Billie Eilish
> 
> Lost On You: by LP
> 
> Let me know what you think! 
> 
> (Also, like, maybe tell me what you think of this chapter. If you want)
> 
> ;)


	24. A Glimpse of Pain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blood Warning

Zack and Ivy were hidden in the dense jungle trees, watching the building that stood on the other side of a wide clearing. Shadowsan was in the forest, looking for any other signs of VILE. When he got he back, their plan was to make their way into the compound, locate Carmen, and get her out safely.

It definitely wasn't as solid as Ivy wanted it to be.

"Hey," Zack muttered to her. "when we find her, do you think-"

The sound of slamming doors suddenly rang out through the night, startling them. Zack hefted his binoculars and stared at a moon-lit figure that was racing for the tree line, right towards them. There was a weary lurch to the persons movement, as if they couldn't move correctly. Zack blinked. "That's Carm." Then, louder, "Ivy, that's Carmen!"

"What?!" Relief hit Ivy like a tidal wave as she saw that her brother was right. She stepped out of the bushes and waved her arms, careful to keep her voice low. "Carm, over here!"

The thief's head jerked, and her entire body seemed to spasm with shock as she saw Ivy. But then she was running to them frantically, panic written across every angle of her face. As she neared them, Ivy could see -by the light of the moon- that Carmen's hair had been cut to just below her shoulders, and dark bands were wrapped around her torso and arm.

Carmen was just mere yards away when she stumbled and collapsed to the ground, her left arm twitching violently as she seemed to bit back a scream of pain. Zack and Ivy were instantly to her, kneeling as if to help her up.

Something in their friend's eyes stopped them.

The thief looked up at them and gave a sorrowful smile. The corners of her mouth twitched as blood dripped from them, and she disappeared in a sudden crack of blue light.

Ivy stared at the hazy imprint of a person, which was also gone far too soon.


	25. Desperate Times

Carmen didn't stop to rest when she arrived back in her cell. As soon as she could feel her own feet beneath her, the thief slammed her scarred back into the heavy metal door, relieving when it swing open easily. Obviously no one had bothered to lock it. They might've not cared, or maybe they just didn't think that she'd try anything.

They were wrong.

She knew what she had to do.

Carmen slowly made her way through the maze of windowless hallways until she fund the room with the white medical table-the one she had woken up strapped to that first day. She shuddered at the painful memories and moved to the smaller table beside it. It still held the many sharp tools, which were now dusty due to lack of use. Glancing over them for a second, Carmen picked up an impressive looking dagger and held it over her bandaged arm.

"Just do it," she whispered, but her right arm only shook and refused to do anything more. She sighed and lowered the knife, her head aching. Outside. She'd have to do it then. She couldn't rick anyone hearing her and coming to investigate.

Carmen nodded to herself and walked back into the hall, glancing around for any operatives. She was sure that there were cameras watching her, but hopefully no one would would know or suspect what she was doing until she had exited the building. She just needed to act like she was making another attempt, without a plan. "Ok," she muttered, tucking the knife into a position were it couldn't hurt her as she ran. "Here we go."

Sucking in a deep and breath and only wincing slightly, Carmen took off in the general direction in which she knew the doors were. Her most recent teleport had somehow numbed most of her body, and the ache in the muscles of her stomach had dulled significantly. It no longer was a priority, and she could only imagine the giant glass panels that would lead her outside. Just beyond them was her freedom. Her family. They weren't dead. That was just another lie from VILE to prove how evil they were.

More deception.

Carmen could feel her blood pounding as she rounded a corner, puffing heavily. She hadn't let herself think about them -Zack and Ivy- because of how painful it was to know that they couldn't come. Wouldn't come, hopefully.

And yet, they had. They were just outside, missing her, wanting to save her, to bring her home.

Hope flared in her chest -something she could barely remember- as she spotted the tall glass doors. It sputtered at the sight of Dr. Bellum standing near them, but Carmen only sped up. Bellum saw her and frowned, sighing with annoyance. 

"Why have you not given this up, Black Sheep? Attempting to escape is pointless."

For half of a second, Carmen was tempted to take her dagger and make quick work of Bellum, but she shook her head and instead ignored the scientist as she ran bast her. The doors were suddenly right before her. They towered high, moonlight spilling through the glass. It didn't seem fair or even appropriate to Carmen, for any beauty to be found in this place. The real beauty was beyond the doors, crouching in the bushes and waiting for her.

She just needed to get out, and then... then she'd do it.

Pushing out into the night -ignoring Bellum's yells as she noticed the knife- Carmen started to count down in her head. 30 seconds wasn't a lot. She would need to be quick.

Taking a few steps further into the darkness, she sucked in a deep breath and brandished the dagger over her arm again.

26 seconds.

Another breath.

23 seconds now.


	26. Desperate Measures

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blood Warning!

Carmen screwed her eyes shut and slammed the dagger's razor-sharp point into her arm.

A guttural scream tore from her throat, but she bit it back as much as she could as pain rocketed through her nerves, driving her to the ground. Bile rose in her throat and burned her mouth, and through the red haze she could barely remember how much time had passed. How much was left? 20 seconds? 14? She had to be quick. Blinking back harsh tears, Carmen forced air into her lungs and dug her fingers into the raw wound. Hot blood sloshed and spilled down her arm, somehow chilling her bones.

The pain...

Carmen gave a defiant yell that came out as more of a tearful whimper and ripped the microchip from her flesh, nausea rolling across her at the sight of bloodied muscles and tissue. The chip was small and quickly fell from her slick fingers, silent as it dropped to the ground. It was coated heavily with red under the moon, but a greenish-blue light blinked persistently past the murky cover. As Carmen watched it through muddled eyes, the tiny chip beeped once and simply... disappeared.

She stared at where it had been, all too aware of the mess-that-was-her-arm as it hung limply at her side. She didn't know if she would be able to move it, even had she wanted to. Carmen struggled to her feet as blackness crept along the edges of her vision, threatening unconsciousness. She looked to the trees, tears running down her face and making trails through the dust and dirt on her cheeks. If she could just reach the forest-

"Black Sheep!" Dr. Bellum was suddenly a few feet away from her, a crackle rod in her gloved hand. Both amusement and annoyance flickered across her face at the sight of Carmen's arm, and she frowned at where the microchip should have been. "Well, I'll just have to do something a little more... permanent, next time." She sighed and walked forward, her expression expectant as she offered Carmen a pair of cuffs. "Put these on, Black Sheep. Come."

Carmen ignored her and leapt forward, using her right arm to swing the knife at Bellum's head. The scientist dodged with a yelp, but went down with the second attempt. Dropping the crackle rod -which Carmen picked up, tucking the dagger into her pants- Bellum collapsed quietly to the ground.

"The name's Carmen, Frankenstein," Carmen muttered angrily.

Flood lights promptly flashed to life, as if on cue. They bathed the clearing in harsh light, blinding the thief. She cursed and hefted the crackle rod as operatives poured from the compound, quickly followed by Coach Brunt. There couldn't have been more than three dozen or so people, which wasn't even a twelfth of VILE, but that still left the odds at her against all of them.

Carmen nodded almost confidently and positioned her self as best she could with her limp arm, a smile somehow tugging at the corners of her lips as rage poured through her nerves, numbing the pain slightly. Fine. VILE wanted to fight, then she would fight.

Mangled body and all.


	27. Tense

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SORRY FOR NOT BEING GREAT AT UPDATING
> 
> BUT HERE YA GO
> 
> Also thank you for so many reads!

Zack struggled to hold both Ivy and himself back as they watched Carmen run out of the building yet again, something small and gleaming in her hand. His sister pushed against his arms, wanting to bolt straight to their friend, but he knew they needed to wait for Shadowsan.

"Ivy, please, just a little longer! The same thing that just happened to her could-"

"I know it could happen again, Zack!" Ivy hissed at him and glared with her blue eyes. "That's why I have to get to her before-"

"No, Ivy, listen to me," he hugged her tighter and dragged her farther back into the jungle. "Without Shadowsan, or a real plan, everything could fall apart. We need to wait-"

But Ivy wasn't listening. She was staring at Carmen again, her eyes angry. They suddenly flared with fear and shock, however, and Zack couldn't help but turn as well.

Carmen had the gleaming thing raised over her arm, and he understood now why Ivy looked so terrified. The thief seemed to suck in a breath as the moon slid out, revealing further what she held, and-

She plunged the knife into the flesh right in the middle of her elbow and shoulder.

Something desperate and sorrowful slipped from both his and Ivy's mouth's as Carmen gave an agonized scream, and he had to remind himself to keep breathing. Ivy almost immediately broke free from his hold and once again ran for the end of the trees, but a shadow stopped her.

"No, Ivy. Not yet." Shadowsan frowned at her, his own gaze darkened with rage as her surveyed Carmen's slumped, silent form.

Zack watched with them as Carmen seemed to grab something from the wound and let it drop, and his shock quickly changed to relief when she stood. Blood dripped from her fingertips to the dusty ground, and Ivy pried his arms from her around yet again to point to their friend.

"Can I go get her now?" she seethed, teeth grinding.

"Wait for her to come to us," he hissed back.

"But what if she can't?" Ivy turned to him, her panicked eyes matching his own swirling emotions. "Just look at the state that she's in! Anyone would've passed out long before now! She needs our help."

"Well, then I guess it's a good thing that Carm isn't anyone else, Ivy. We need a plan."

"I'm working on it," Shadowsan's normally calm voice was ragged as Carmen wobbled on her feet, her eyes glinting dully under the moon. "So far, there are no signs of any VILE operatives-"

His reply was cut off as Dr. Bellum appeared from the building.

Ivy growled and narrowed her eyes angrily as the VILE staff member pointed a crackle rod at Carmen's chest and offered what looked to be a pair of cuffs, saying something inaudible. The anger was swept away from her expression, however, when the thief suddenly lunged forward and knocked Bellum to the ground.

The scientist stayed down, and Shadowsan stepped forward. "That's our cue." He gripped his sword tightly, taking another step past the tree line. "Let's go get her."

"Wait," Player hissed, his voice emitting quietly from Zack's phone. "Activity just blew up from inside the compound. Something's about to happen."

They were all blinded by the glaring lights as they turned on, illuminating the entire clearing and giving it a wight-washed edge.

"Carm's bleeding bad," Zack muttered, shadowing his eyes as the light made Carmen's form fully visible.

"And we've got company." Ivy pushed herself back into the bushes, pointing to where operatives were running from the building's entrance.

Shadowsan narrowed his eyes, gripping his sword even tighter and gritting his teeth.

She was right there. If they didn't act now, Carmen was gone for good.


	28. Strength

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small Blood Warning

Carmen was dimly aware of the harsh light in her eyes, and the buzzing pain in her body. White noise had filled her head as she stared at the criminals running towards her, her focus mainly focused on Coach Brunt. The burly woman was looking especially smug at the thought of fighting her yet again. Carmen just smirked, brandishing the crackle rod and moving into an offensive stance.

Over the brightly lit tree tops, she could see the beginnings of a sunrise. It almost made her laugh, seeing as it could very well be her very last.

Brunt stopped a few feet from Carmen and folded her arms. "I suppose it's time for me to grant that promised hurt, huh, Lambkins." She didn't say it with a questioning tone, as if she wanted it to be very clear that there were no other options. "If you come quietly, I'll make it quick for you."

"Yeah right," Carmen spat. "Like I'd willingly let you kill me now."

Brunt raised an eyebrow. "You seemed awfully eager for death not a day ago. If I remember correctly, you were at the point of begging fore to end your life right there."

Carmen winced slightly, knowing that Ivy would be freaking out right now, wherever they were in the jungle. "Yeah, well, I guess that I've changed my mind," she growled.

Coach Brunt just laughed and motioned for an operative. "Let's put your newly learned skills to use, shall we?" Tigress stepped forward, her claws stretched out and gleaming. She smiled wickedly at Carmen, her eyes narrowing happily.

Carmen only sighed and turned the crackle rod's dial a little past stun mode, left to puzzle over what Brunt had said. "Here, Kitty, Kitty," she cooed mockingly.

Tigress snarled and leapt forward, her deadly talons aimed for Carmen's heart. 

Ivy cried out as the feline-like villain lashed at Carmen, but once again it seemed that there was no point in worrying. Her friend quickly downed the other thief, her movements somehow quick, calculated and feisty despite the bloody wound on her arm and the red stained bandages wrapped around her stomach.

She hadn't remembered Carmen being just as a good a fighter as she was a pickpocket.

The Bostonian found herself biting her lip, though, as even more operatives advanced. "Shadowsan...?" She started.

He held up a hand. "Wait."


	29. Fueled by the Fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blood Warning

(First person)

Carmen POV

I am not a tool. Or a weapon. I'm simply just here in this life, just another person attempting to fix all of the wrong. But when the wrong tries to and actually thinks that it can control me, I get angry, and scared, and confused. Sometimes I wonder if I'm actually cut out to be a super thief. I mess up, everyone does. But whenever I do I start to doubt myself more.

It doesn't help that I'm constantly putting the lives' of my friends on the line right next to my own. I'm fine with being in danger myself, but when it's Zack and Ivy...

I've tried to keep them away from certain missions. It doesn't always work, but when it does I try to see it as a victory. If they're out of the way, they can't get hurt.

Right?

That's why it terrifies me so much, to know that they're here, near the VILE compound that I've been trapped in for who knows how long. If something were to happen to them because they were saving me, then, well...

Anger and adrenaline were dulling Carmen's pain and making her blood boil, and she knocked down VILE operatives one after the other. Many of them weren't actual trained thieves, just guards and servants that knew a little about fighting. She even found by nailing one of those men in the face that she could in fact use her left arm, if only temporarily. She quickly realized, however, that she wasn't the only one fighting against the many people in pale green. There was a flash of familiar metal and a glimpse of bright orange hair, and then...

Shadowsan, closely followed by Ivy and Zack.

Carmen found herself grinning with tears in her eyes, even as fear for them spiraled in her gut. She let herself gaze at them for just a second before clocking an operative over the head with the butt of the knife and shooting another with a crackle rod, bone crunching in a satisfying way when she kicked yet another to the ground.

Her smile quickly faded as mist in the sunlight when Brunt towered over her.

I hate you.

The thought was so sudden and so filled with hate that Carmen could do nothing but give a primal snarl and charge the VILE instructor, crackle rod and knife both held in ready position.

The thief found herself cursing violently as she leapt at Brunt, and the words surprised even her. She had tried to avoid swearing whenever she could, because it had only served in bringing a more negative aspect to her already tumultuous life style. Now, however, Carmen found the action almost strangely comforting.

"Guys, run to the forest!" She yelled, dodging yet another one of Brunt's large fists. Not waiting to see if her friends obeyed or not, Carmen discarded the dagger and grabbed a second crackle rod from a fallen operative, intending to stab both into the cloth of Coach Brunt's track suit.

She moved too slowly.

"Oh, no, you don't," Brunt growled as she backhanded Carmen across the stomach, sending her crumbling to the ground.

Carmen screamed as fire erupted along the wounds on her abdomen, fresh blood warming her shirt and skin. A cough forced its way up her throat, and it rattled her body as Brunt grabbed her shoulders and hefted her into the air.

"You've done enough damage for one visit, Lambkins. I'll just have to make sure you can't do that ever again." She lowered Carmen's face down to hers, green eyes glinting with malice. "Did you ever wonder why you were suddenly so much better at fighting just now, Sandiego?"

She could only cough and swallow the blood in her mouth.

Brunt's voice lowered even further into something soft and dark and terrifying. "We didn't just take your memories," she whispered. "We gave you new ones. You'll never know what to trust anymore. Not your friends, not the world around you, not yourself."

Carmen gritted her teeth as she tried to register what Brunt was saying, but the pain and the anger were both too much. So instead she just lifted the crackle rod she'd managed to hold onto and turned its dial to the highest setting.

The deadliest setting, the lethal setting.

The one that killed.

What else could she do? Let Brunt hunt her and hurt her over and over again? Play along as they attacked the very foundation of her life? Fall into their plans? Be a pawn, a tool?

No.

She could only pull the trigger.


	30. Grief

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight Blood Warning

Carmen was blinded as the electricity shot at Brunt, and the woman's slack disappeared. They both fell to the ground, thumping dully. Her vision fuzzed in and out, and it wasn't until a numbness like she'd never known poured through her nerves that she realized she was crying. Huge, uncontrollable sobs racked her body, and pain rippled before ebbing away.

She couldn't find the strength to care that blood was pooling around her.

Or that any of the remaining operatives had gone.

Or that she was suddenly in Zack and Ivy's arms, cradled as they finally held her.

Because what she was feeling right now? No one would ever understand. Not just the physical torture she'd endured, but also the empty hole in her gut that was gaping further and further. She'd rather live through it all over again if it meant she could keep herself from doing what she had just done.

She'd rather be whipped and burned and stabbed a million times over than watch Brunt fall, never to rise again.

She'd rather be killed than kill others herself.

But there was no going back, because she had turned that dial, and now Brunt was laying on the ground, her back to the world.

"I killed her!" Carmen moaned through her sobs.

Her friends rocked her slightly, hair lit by the sunrise, their voices muffled by the pounding in her ears.

"I killed her. I killed Coach Brunt." The thief screwed her eyes shut, tears and grief choking her throat. "I killed her, I killed her, I killed her..."

They held her close.

"I killed her."

They hugged her.

"She was my mother."

They didn't let her go.

"She's gone, I killed someone, I killed her, no no no no nonononononono..."

It wasn't enough.

"I want to go home," she whispered, voice raw. "I just want to go home..."

Carmen felt herself caving in, and she gladly let her body take over. Her sobbing grew quiet, and the shaking ceased. She fell into an oblivion, endless and black and broken, and she never wanted to leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MY BABY CARMEN IM SORRYYYEEEEEE


	31. Not a Happy Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blood Warning

Ivy couldn't help but watch Carmen as they all fought. The thief looked terrible, battered and almost half dead. Blood soaked the many bandages she wore, but somehow, somehow, Carmen just kept going.

Just kept fighting.

Eventually, the amount of operatives had thinned almost completely, and Carmen yelled at them all to run to the jungle.

"Aw heck no," Ivy muttered, wiping blood and dirt from her cheek, but a warning glance from Shadowsan sent her backing away.

Coach Brunt had approached Carmen, and the thief was looking at her with such a look of hatred that Ivy felt almost physically ill. Carmen suddenly snarled and turned to grab yet another crackle rod, but even Ivy could tell that her movements had once again turned sluggish and tired.

Brunt hit Carmen across her bleeding stomach, and Ivy felt her heart stop at the scream that cracked from her friends throat. Blood was working its way down Carmen's chin as the burly older woman hefted her into the air and said something inaudible.

Ivy felt herself running to them, mind empty of any form of plan, but she stopped. Red streaked over Carmen's face, but her eyes were filled with a kind of courage that almost scared her. The auburn haired young woman suddenly lifted her crackle rod, her fingers twitching over its trigger as the electricity grew brighter.

Ivy's eyes widened at the same time that Carmen shot.

Both Carmen and Brunt dropped to the ground, the latter staying horrifyingly still. Zack and Ivy rushed forward, followed by Shadowsan, and landed on their knees next to Carmen. The thief was shaking violently as heavy sobs ripped from her bleeding lips, and as Zack and Ivy pulled her into their arms, blood seeped into their clothes.

"Carmen, Carmen, I need you to look at me," Zack whispered, shaking her slightly.

"I killed her," Carmen moaned.

"I know, but it's going to be OK. Carmen, look at me."

"I killed her. I killed Coach Brunt," Carmen repeated, tears streaking down her face. She screwed her eyes shut tighter and coughed. "I killed her, I killed her, I killed her... She was my mother."

Ivy bit her lip hard and cradled her friends head sadly. "Carmen, please. Open your eyes. Breath, Carm."

"She's gone, I killed someone, I killed her, no no no nonononononono..."

"She's in shock. She can't hear us," Shadowsan said, coming up and laying a hand on Carmen's sweat-slicked forehead. "We need to get her out of here, now."

"I want to go home," Carmen suddenly whispered. "I just want to go home..." Her sobbing seemed to quiet, and then it stopped all together.

"Did the blood loss knock her out?" Ivy asked, fear swirling in her gut. It was almost possible to believe, but the scars and blood covering Carmen were too much to process. She lifted a trembling hand to Carmen's mouth, then lowered it to her throat.

Ivy whimpered. "She's not breathing."

Shadowsan pulled Carmen's limp frame to him, his movements jerky and panicked. "No, Carmen, come on," he muttered, checking her pulse himself.

It was gone.


	32. Rescued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blood Warning I guess  
> Sorry I'm getting tired of them too. Why did I write this like this?? I dunno.  
> Anyway here we go 👍

Shadowsan immediately began to pump Carmen's chest, sweat trickling down his face. Ivy and Zack could do nothing but watch in fear. Otherwise, they might've gotten in the way, and they knew it. The thief was laying horribly still, her face set in an almost peaceful expression, even with the tears streaks running through the crimson on her cheek.

"Carmen, come on," Shadowsan repeated, his eyes wet as Carmen still didn't respond to his CPR.

Another minute passed, and she had yet to wake up.

The ninja stopped, his body trembling as he choked back tears and hugged Carmen to him. "I'm so sorry," he whispered heavily, addressing the siblings. "She lost- she must've lost too much blood, I can't..."

Ivy paled. "No, no, Shadowsan, you can't just give up on her! We spent almost two months mourning and tracking where she was! I am not going to get Carmen back only to lose her, and neither are you. You don't give up on family." Her voice broke on the last word, and it seemed to snap Shadowsan out of any mental fog he was in.

He nodded, clearing his throat and placing his hands back over Carmen's heart. "I'm sorry," he murmured again, this time seemingly to Carmen. "This is going to hurt." He arranged his fingers so that they pressed against different areas above her collarbone, heart, throat, and under the soft tissue of where her jaw connected to her neck.

"What are you doing?" Zack whispered.

"Pressure point trick that Coach Brunt taught me when I was a young operative. I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner," Shadowsan muttered, face taught with concentration. "It forces a steady blood flow for a small amount of time and sends a jolt through the body's central nervous system."

The mention of Coach Brunt hit the air heavily, but it was quickly forgotten when Shadowsan grit his teeth, pinky finger shifting up to press against Carmen's temple. "It should work in just a few seconds..."

There was a sharp, wet sound from Carmen's chest, and she suddenly rattled back to life. Her body heaved as she sucked in a lungful of air, and then she turned on her side to cough bile onto the ground, eyes wild. The celebration was short lived as the thief continued to gasp, her breaths growing shallower and sickeningly wetter with each one.

Shadowsan immediately scooped Carmen up and bolted for the tree line, Zack and Ivy following quickly. The thief had once again fallen unconscious when they reached the Jeep, but Shadowsan re-did the pressure point thing and she woke right back up.

"Get the first aid kit, quickly!" The ninja pinned Carmen's flailing arms to her side and pressed a bottle of water to her dry lips. She resisted it at first, but then managed to swallow a mouthful before coughing and sputtering. Shadowsan instructed the siblings to hold Carmen down, then opened the first aid kit and pulled out a thick syringe/needle.

"What are you doing?" Zack asked again, eyeing it wearily.

"The blood loss is the biggest threat to her right now," he said, preparing a strip of gauze. "I'm going to give her some of mine until she's strong enough to make it to a hospital."

"Whoa, that's hardcore," Ivy muttered, looking sick as Shadowsan pricked his skin and filled the tube with thick red fluid.

"Don't we need to keep her from losing more blood, too?" Zack motioned to the failing bandages wrapped around Carmen's arm and stomach.

Shadowsan nodded. "Zack, press this down right here," He handed the younger boy a thick towel and pointed to Carmen's arm. "and this one here." He cut the bandages off of her stomach and motioned to the worst cut.

Zack and Ivy whimpered at the blood, the both of them having to suck in a breath before they could get to work. Carmen moaned weakly as Zack put pressure on the wounds, her eyes clouded over. Shadowsan held down Carmen's right arm and pushed the blood in, close to her wrist, then drew his own and repeated the process three more times. By the end he was shaky and pale, sweat lining his skin, but color had returned to Carmen's face and lips.

So far Carmen had barely resisted, but when Shadowsan tried to clean the deep gash on her other arm, she cried out and flinched away. Ivy held the thief in her arms and covered her eyes so that she couldn't see, and it seemed to calm her down.

"It's ok, Carm. Ssshh, it's ok, don't worry. I'm here, it's Ivy, I'm right here," Ivy whispered into her ear, smoothing away sticky red hair from her sweat-slicked forehead until Shadowsan injected a sedative into her arm.

Carmen almost immediately relaxed, her breathing a bit stronger than it had been 30 minutes ago.

Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. Shadowsan cleaned and re bandaged the grooves in Carmen's stomach, collecting her into his arms and sliding into the backseat. Ivy followed him while Zack jumped behind the wheel, anxiety making him twitch.

Carmen would be ok (as much as she could be with the state that she was in) for another few hours, and by then they hoped to reach a hospital.

Ivy cradled her friend's lolling head and cried softly, murmuring to her inaudibly every once and a while.

She was alive. For now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew.  
> Ok  
> Deep breaths, everyone   
> Carmen is currently alive, as you can see  
> Please don't kill me!  
> DEEP BREATHS  
> (Deep breath)  
> See? There, it works!  
> Ok ok yes I'm sorry for doing that (kinda) but I can't make any promises!  
> About, ya know, anything!  
> I mean it's not like I'm the auth-  
> Oh  
> Wait  
> I am  
> -author chan has left the chat
> 
> Remember feedback is welcome!


	33. Patient Records

Patient Records

Date: 08/21/2021 (A/N: Just deal with me guys)

Patient: Scarlet Santa Rosa

Patient was moved from medic station in Brazil to San Diego, California (USA) Hospital

Condition(s) include the following:

-4 pints of blood lost, 1 pint given by donor

-Severe physical trauma, level of mental unknown

-Extensive nerve damage in left arm, possibly permanent

-Extensive nerve damage in back, scars look like whip marks

-Half healed burns on scalp, hidden by hair

-Possible brain damage due to concussion

-Signs of starvation

-3 broken fingers

-Electrical burns on hands

-Fractured right foot

-Deep gash on cheek

-Patient fell into a coma upon arriving

Life Support Needed: Possible

Patient's Vitals: Unstable

Previously Existing Medical Conditions: Yes

-Healed from hypothermia

-Rib cage and muscle damage

Last Hospital Stay: Recent

Location: Stockholm, Sweden, Europe

Patient Characteristics:

Age(22)

Sex(Female)

Race(Hispanic-South American-Latina)

Hair(Auburn)

Eyes(GrayBlue)

Height(5' 7")

Weight(142 lbs.)

Normally Healthy: Yes

Current Health State: Low

Patient Accompanied By: 3(Family)

Name: Zack

Age: 19

Sex: Male

Race: American

Relation to Patient: Younger Brother(Adopted)

Name: Ivy

Age: 21

Sex: Female

Race: American

Relation to Patient: Sister(Adopted)

Name: Suhara

Age: 47

Sex: Male

Race: Japanese

Relation to Patient: God Father

Patient injury(s) description:

Her family won't tell us exactly what happened.

Doctor: Dr. Markus B. Johnsen

Assisting Nurse(s): Annie Joy, José Gomez

Surgeon: Dr. Yin Long

Surgeries Required: Four

Total Cost/Bill of Hospital Stay/Care: **********(Already paid)

Expected Patient Release Date: 10/07/2021 (Depends entirely on when she wakes up)

-Dr. Markus Benjamin Johnsen


	34. Patient Records- Updated

Date: 09/09/2021

Patient Scarlet Santa Rosa has been reported missing from her room. All files on patient are also gone.

Delete Files? Yes/No

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOOOOO I know this was like ten words, but on Wattpad it's combined with an author note that isn't relevant anymore, soo... More stuff coming in just a bit!


	35. Awakening

Ivy stood quietly in the doorway of Carmen's room, her eyes focused on the thief's still form. She had to keep reminding herself that Carmen was only sleeping, though they had really no idea when she'd wake up, which was an idea terrifying enough all on its own. Sighing sadly, Ivy walked into the bedroom and sat beside the body of her friend, making the mattress shift slightly. She took Carmen's unmoving hand in her own, twining their fingers together.

The thief didn't stir, of course. Comas tended to do that to people.

"Carm." Ivy began to talk, the way she did everyday, at least three times. "Zack made gourmet burgers for lunch today. I'm a little less worried about him now than I was when we first brought you home." It had been a little under two weeks since they had smuggled Carmen out of the hospital, more than twice that since they had driven her half dead body to the medic station in Brazil. Three months had passed-almost to the exact day-since that terrible night in France.

Unfortunately, Ivy was still plagued with the constant fear of losing Carmen to her injuries.

"Hey, Sis." Zack walked in and settled himself next to her, his aquarium blue eyes running down Carmen's body. "Does she seem better than yesterday?" he asked solemnly.

"She gets better every day, but it still feels too slow."

"Right," he sighed, adjusting the tubes that ran from Carmen's mouth and arm. Placing the oxygen mask more fully over her lips and nose, he let his fingers trail down a thick scar on her cheek that slashed just below her right eye and curled down to the corner of her mouth. "That's never gonna go away, is it?"

Ivy blinked quickly, beating back yet another wave of tears. "No."

Carmen had more than just that one permanent reminder of her extensive pain. Her back was a mess of pale criss-crossed lines, four scars were hidden under her mass of auburn curls, the wounds on her stomach were almost nothing more than shallow red grooves in her flesh, and they still had no clue whether the thief's arm would even work once she was awake. Carmen's hair had grown an inch or so past her shoulders since they rescued her, but it was still shorter than Ivy remembered-and was used to.

Other than that and the obvious sickly pale gauntness that still clung to Carmen's features, she seemed relatively healthy. Her fingers had healed the fastest of her injuries, next to the fracture in her foot, and she had a steady blood flow and breathing pattern.

Ivy supposed she should try to focus on these small victories, though they were few in number. It was just too hard to look past the terrifying stillness of Carmen's shoulder, or how her face didn't even twitch with dreams. Ivy had been accustomed to the super thief's nightmares, and now that she saw this seemingly lifeless woman-stuck full of wires and tubes, heavily wrapped-her first reaction was fear. Paralyzing fear that Carmen had passed during the night when no one was sitting next to her.

I'll stay in here again for the night, she thought to herself. Can't be too careful, right?

Zack elbowed her lightly, forcing a small smile. "Dinner's ready, by the way."

Ivy nodded, giving him a grateful look. "I'll be out in a minute. Thanks, Zack."

His eyes softened, and he leaned down to give me a tight hug before striding back to the kitchen. "Oi, Sensei," he called to Shadowsan. "Food's on the table!"

She laughed at her brother's nickname for the ninja, then turned back to her unconscious friend. "Gotta go, Carm," she muttered, brushing delicate red strands away to kiss her forehead. 

The siblings and Shadowsan sat at a small table in the kitchen, bowls of clam chowder set in front of each of them. Carmen's red laptop was open on the other end, showing Player eating his own plate of food. He had a habit of eating meals with them through video call now, always making sure to be available when Shadowsan was home at the warehouse and not occupied with a caper. VILE had only been active once ever since they'd gotten Carmen out, which meant that Player ate with them almost every other day.

There was an uncomfortable silence until Ivy had managed to gulp down a few bites. "Ok," she said, temporarily setting aside the bowl of mouthwatering soup. "we really need to talk."

Shadowsan's head shot up. "Is Carmen alright?" He had been caring for the younger thief as well, his fatherly persona making frequent appearances.

"Besides the fact that she's in a coma and is currently being kept alive by flippin' tubes? Yeah." Ivy sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "But this is about her."

Player and Zack paused digging into their food, glancing up at the red head, and Shadowsan narrowed his eyes.

"We need to talk about... about what happened."

Zack screwed his eyes shut and grit his teeth. "A lot of stuff happened, Ivy, and I don't really think anyone here wants to talk about it."

Ivy suddenly growled, slamming her hand down on the table. "Having the death of someone on Carmen's conscious is not going to help her mental state, gosh dangit! We have to stop avoiding this topic! Just because she's not awake doesn't mean that there aren't going to be unavoidable consequences for her to face!" she yelled.

There was silence around the table.

"Ok, then," Shadowsan said, folding his hands together calmly as if she hadn't shouted at them. He cleared his throat, emotion clouding his dark eyes. "Let's talk. About Coach Brunt, right?"

The name sucked the life out of the room, and Ivy shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "Yeah," she muttered quietly.

The ninja ducked his head. "You're right, Ivy. Taking the life of another is hard on the heart and the mind. Carmen... will struggle."

Zack blinked sadly. "Shadowsan, were you close to Coach Brunt?"

He muttered something about "pushy children" under his breath before answering. "I never considered myself as such. She was my superior, even when the both of us were fellow faculty members. Even then, she was more of a nuisance." He paused. "But then again, I am sorry that a life was lost."

"Yeah, me too," a weak voice said.

Everyone spun in their chairs.

"Carmen!" Ivy exclaimed, tears in her eyes.

The thief was leaning heavily against the wall, her breathing shallow and raspy as her legs shook violently under the strain of standing for the first time in a month, but she was awake. She gave them all a tired smile, something Ivy hadn't had the chance to see for over eleven weeks.

Carmen promptly collapsed onto the kitchen floor.


	36. "I Know"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Mention of attempted overdose ahead

"Shadowsan, please, I'm fine! Go to bed, I don't want to talk. You need to stop. Just leave me alone."

The ninja narrowed his eyes at her, the hurt evident in his dark gaze. "Of course, Carmen." He left swiftly, his robes swishing.

She sighed, tears filling her eyes.

I held her.

Ivy walked back into Carmen's room, a bowl of leftover clam chowder in her hand, a glass of milk in the other. She set them on the nightstand, then once again readjusted Carmen's oxygen mask. The thief was staring blankly at the wall, her face void of emotion and eyes dull. Ivy sighed, then sat and scooped Carmen into her lap, careful to not move the IV drip in her arm. Carmen had ripped it from her flesh when she woke up, but she still needed it.

Ivy closed her eyes and placed her chin in the auburn hair, her hand rubbing quiet circles into her friends scarred back. "I got some food for you, Carm," she whispered. "Your stomach has been empty for a while, so you'll just need to eat slowly."

"Not hungry," Carmen muttered stiffly, her words a bit muffled as they fogged up the  
inside of the mask.

"You have to have something."

"I'm not hungry," she repeated, tone shifting.

Ivy dropped it, pulling the hood of her baggy red sweatshirt off of her head fully. "We'll see."

"Ivy, I don't feel like eating! Why don't you get that?!" Carmen snarled, pushing away from the red head and accidentally pulling the tube from her arm.

She winced, and Ivy quickly pressed a rag to the droplet of blood that formed. "Ok, I'm sorry, Carm. Deep breaths."

Her face crumbled, and she dropped it into her right hand, tears shaking her shoulders as she tore the mask from her mouth.

"Careful, you'll hurt yourself," Ivy said gently.

"I don't care."

"Carmen." Ivy knelt on the ground in front of her, repeating her name until the thief looked up at her, her eyes lined with silver.

"What?" Carmen spat bitterly.

Ivy's heart sank. She had already known that Carmen would be different after the torture she'd endured. Who wouldn't be? But she had never guessed that she would turn into this-this mess. She'd been awake for just over 24 hours, and she hadn't smiled once since when she first did.

It terrified her almost as much as the blood drenching Carmen's body had.

Ivy reached up and pressed her forehead to the young thief's, tears of her own warming her face as they slid down.

"She's gone," Carmen choked out. "I hated her and now she's gone because of me. I don't even feel bad. But my brain is screaming at me because I killed someone."

"I know," Ivy whispered.

"I wanted to die, Ivy." Her voice lowered to barely a whisper. "I was begging them to kill me. I didn't want to be... me anymore."

"I'm sorry." Ivy shook her head, wet marring her cheeks. She stood up and sat next to Carmen again. "Please, you have to keep the IV in, at least, if you don't eat."

The thief sighed, exhaustion clouding her gaze. She reached for the bowl, but her arm shook with the strain of using only one, and Ivy grabbed it for her.

"Have you tried to use your left arm at all yet?" she whispered.

"...yes."

Ivy paled.

The thief sighed, not talking further in order to down her soup. Like Ivy had warned, it was too much to suddenly have in her stomach all at once, and Carmen grimaced as she doubled over. "Ow."

"Yeah, ow." Ivy rubbed her eyes, then took the empty bowl and spoon and went to discard them in the kitchen. "There's milk in that cup, Carm."

Both Zack and Shadowsan were sitting at the table, and they looked up when she came in. "Have you asked her yet?" Zack inquired.

"No. I don't think she's ready."

Shadowsan placed his face in his hands. Carmen had snapped at him earlier when he'd tried to help her, and they had all decided to let Ivy tend to her. "Update on her arm?"

"I... don't think she can move it."

The light seemed to get sucked out of the room.

"Ivy?" Carmen called from her room, her voice laced with panic.

"I'm coming, Carm." The red head gave her brother a sad frown and went back to her friend.

Carmen felt herself relax when Ivy came back, her hands now empty of dishes. "Sorry," she muttered, wincing at the dark circles under her eyes. "I don't think I can... be alone right now."

"Of course." Ivy smiled and pulled a small pill bottle from the pocket of her blue sweatshirt. It had been a gift from Shadowsan, as was Carmen's. Zack and Player has each received a green one, both of different shades.

"I have a prescription?" Carmen stared at the bottle, suddenly angry.

Ivy nodded and handed it to her, letting her read the label.

The thief had to resist the urge to fling it across the room, and instead chose to slump into her pillows. "Figures," she muttered, running her finger down the label. Sighing, she fished a small handful of the white pills out and grabbed the glass of milk.

"You're only supposed to take half of one of those tonight, Carm," Ivy said, furrowing her brow.

"I know." She threw her head back and popped the capsules, swallowing them before Ivy could stop her, and downed the milk.

"Carmen!" Ivy yelped and hurried to take the bottle from her, which the thief happily handed over. "A half! That was several!"

"I know," Carmen repeated, glaring before throwing the blankets away to stand.

"Carmen, no, you need to rest-"

"I don't care," the thief growled, pushing past her and striding our of her room on surprisingly stable legs. The medicines label had said high doses of sleeping prescription as one of its descriptions-among other things she didn't care to think about-so she was eager to take more than technically allowed.

Being awake was painful.

"Wha- Carm?" Zack stood hurriedly, his eyebrows shooting up.

"Yeah, that's me," she muttered quietly, making her way to the couch. Ivy sat next to her, checking her temperature before grabbing a different cup and filling it with ice water.

Carmen accepted the cup with her right hand, giggling childishly as the cubes swished around.

"Did... she just giggle?" Shadowsan frowned.

"Yeah." Ivy scowled and put a cold cloth on the thief's forehead. "She took way too many of those pills instead of half of one, and I think she has a fever."

The ninja shot up at the mention of the medication, going to kneel in front of Carmen. "Carmen, I need you to look at me," he insisted, worry I'm his eyes.

Her pupils were slowly dilating as he watched, and he cursed before grabbing something from the bathroom.

"What wrong?" Ivy asked, tensing.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine. It wasn't that large of an overdose than, say, the entire bottle, and we won't have to go back to the hospital. I've dealt with this many a time at VILE." He then sighed. "Someone find me the first aid kit. Again."

Carmen POV first person  
Being high was... strange. Or was it even considered 'high?' That's not why I had taken them. I didn't really understand why I had, honestly.

I remember popping the pills, almost six of them right in front of Ivy.

My own actions made me feel sick. I wasn't suicidal, I hadn't been in a long time, at least not before the whole mess at the new VILE compound. But, then again, Coach Brunt has said they'd given me memories as well.

Who's to say they couldn't change they way I thought?

What I had said earlier was true. I definitely wasn't safe alone. Not until I figured out what VILE had done to my brain.


	37. Consequences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MENTION of blood I guess????

"Carmen..."

"Carm, wake up..."

"CARMEN SANDIEGO, TIGRESS IS IN THE WAREHOUSE!!"

Carmen jolted awake, gasps rocking her body as she shot to her feet. "Where!?" Her head whipped around, searching for the promised villainess. "Where!?" she repeated, panting heavily.

Warm arms suddenly wrapped around her, and soft murmurs were whispered in her ear as she was guided back to the couch. "Sorry, that probably wasn't the best way to get you up," Ivy's voice said, sounding apologetic. She hugged the thief tighter when she struggled. "Ssshh, Carm, it's OK. Tigress isn't here. We just needed you to wake up."

Carmen sighed heavily, drooping back into the pile of blankets that rested on the couch. She adjusted her limp arm awkwardly, and Ivy appeared in front of her to help. The red head's face was flushed, and her eyes were dulled with worry.

"I'm sorry," she said again, kneeling in front of her. "Didn't mean to scare you."

The thief sucked in a shaky breath and did her best to give a smile, however wobbly it was. Ivy's face lit up at the sight of it, and she crushed her with a hug.

"Oh gosh, Carm, I was so worried."

Two new sets of arms enveloped her, and Carmen squeezed Zack's hand before Shadowsan's. "What happened?" she whispered, her eyes darting to those of her friends.

Ivy made a choking noise while her brother frowned. "Y-you don't remember?"

"Um, well..." She frowned, searching her memory. Waking up to find herself alone in her room, standing up and ripping the IV from her arm in a panic, collapsing again, snapping at Shadowsan later, then... "Oh."

Shadowsan shooed the siblings to the side and took Ivy's place on his knees in front of Carmen. "How are you feeling?" His dark eyes glittered with fear and guilt, and shame clawed over the thief.

"I feel fi-"

He cut her off. "How are you really feeling, Carmen?"

Her eyes widened, and she stared at the wall. Without making eye contact, she whispered, "I'm feeling a lot of things right now, Shadowsan."

The ninja nodded. "That is to be expected. You are young and-"

"I'm not weak!" she suddenly snapped.

"-have been through a lot," Shadowsan finished, eyes sad.

Carmen closed her own, willing the tears back. "Sorry." The couch next to her shifted as both Ivy and Zack sat on either side of her, taking her hands. She squeezed Zack's, who was on her right. "Is it- is it concerning that I couldn't feel Ivy's hand until I looked?"

The room's mood seemed to lower dramatically. "So you can feel with it?" Shadowsan inquired.

"N-no. It's like... it's numb. I just know that I should be feeling something so it's almost like I'm convincing myself that I can."

He sighed sadly, holding his palm out. "Carmen, place your hand in mine."

She almost put her right in, but she knew what he meant.

It wouldn't move. It sat on her leg, Ivy's fingers rubbing circles into the skin as it she could rub feeling into it, too.

"Carm, look at me," Ivy commanded. The thief did so. "Now, move your fingers."

Carmen made the motion, keeping her eyes strained on Ivy so that she couldn't see it.

Ivy's voice tensed. "Move your fingers, Carmen."

"I am," she choked out, tears once again building dangerously on her lashes. Her eyes darted from face to terrified face, until they finally landed on her hand.

Carmen doubled over and cried.

I don't know why it hurts so much. There's no real pain, it's all just in my heart. I don't know why I'm grieving for a piece of flesh and bone that I can't even use anymore.

But it feels terrible.

It's unnatural to have this limp wait at my side. When I want to move it, my brain thinks that I'm moving it, and I do too.

And then it doesn't, and it scares me.

I'm overjoyed to be back home, don't get me wrong, but my happiness these days is always limited. The hours drag by and sap my energy, and by nine o'clock every night I'm either a sobbing mess or I'm knocked out on the couch. They won't let me sleep alone anymore, and I like being in the main room than in my bed.

My body often aches in places I didn't even know existed, but my medication (VERY monitored medication, that is) helps a great deal with my stress for most of the day and the throbbing in my torso. The scars on my stomach and back are pale lines now, but when I run my fingers over my bare skin, there are bumps-grooves from where VILE whipped and cut me.

Even with my body in the state that it was, the nightmares were what I wanted to get rid of the most. I would gladly keep the pain, the useless arm, if it meant I could sleep peacefully.

Unfortunately for me, none of those things were leaving any time soon.

On the worst days, the fear of sleeping will keep me awake, and Ivy has to coax my eyes shut by holding me on the couch until I've stopped shaking. Shadowsan has tried to get me to talk to him, to see if he can help me, but that's not what I want-it never will be.

No one could ever fix me, anyway.

Not after what I did.

Carmen sat on the roof of the warehouse, staring numbly out at the sunset. She had once found the colors that splashed over the water to be beautiful -calming, even- but now all she could think of when she saw the deep reds and oranges was blood.

Blood on her hands.

Spilling from her body.

Bringing pain.

Seeping into her skin.

Staining her clothes.

The thief shook her head, wiping away tears she hadn't noticed until now. There was no point in reliving those memories. Her friends hadn't pushed very hard for her to tell them what had been done to her, and she was grateful for the respect, but she knew she couldn't hide it from them-not for forever.

She was joined on the roof by the siblings, and Shadowsan came up shortly after. Ivy and Zack sat beside her, Shadowsan laying his hand on her shoulder and giving a soft but comforting squeeze.

I've been awake for almost two weeks now, and yet I still feel distant.

Carmen reached up and tugged at the sling that kept her left arm strapped tightly to her body. They had resulted to using it when she couldn't keep it bandaged comfortably to her side, and it was easier to maneuver this way. Changing was always a pain, of course, as was showering, but she'd eventually figure a rhythm out.

She would have to.

"How will this affect my abilities as a master thief?" She suddenly asked, not really addressing anyone in particular.

There was a deep, throaty sigh from Shadowsan. "I've been talking with Player. He believes he could find a prothetic arm of high enough advanced technology, and tweak it to fit your needs."

Carmen frowned. "That would cost millions of dollars." 

"It would."

She sighed. "I hate using money on myself..."

"I know. But you'll need it if you ever wish to fight VILE again. It could never be the same, of course, but I'm sure in time a solution will present itself."

The thief chuckled half-heartedly. "So much for being ambidextrous."

The joke didn't do much to lift the somber mood. 

Carmen fell asleep that night squished together with Zack and Ivy, the warmth of her friend's bodies somehow chasing away the worst of the nightmares.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAA THE CHILDREN
> 
> I LOVE THEM SO DUCKING MUCH.
> 
> *faints of fangirl overload*
> 
> Also I'm sorry for causing any emotional suffering, please feel free to cuss me out in the comments if you see fit!
> 
> Ok I'll leave now. Love y'all's!!
> 
> Have a sandiego-tastic day! (Ha ha remember that one? I know it's still terrible. It doesn't even work, like what in heck is wrong with me? XD)


	38. Fever Dream

First Person Carmen POV

I'm running. I don't know what from, or why, or any of those things, just that I am. There's fear in my veins, boiling my blood. It's painful and blistering.

It's agony.

Everything is too hot. The gasping in my head, my feet as they pound against the ground. It's too hot it's TOO HOT-

A roar echoes from behind me, bringing a new wave of fear with it. There are suddenly sparks dancing in my vision, flashing and blazing until it hurts to look at them.

Except I don't have the choice of looking away.

Coach Brunt is holding me, and I struggle, but then it's as if I'm five again. Small and innocent and protected. Loved. Safe. Ignorant. I want to snuggle into her warmth, to be held, and the darkness around me knows this. It won't allow it.

I'm dropped into a pile of snow. I recognize the ravine in Stockholm, and for a second, the heat pounding up my body dies down...

Before it comes back, hotter than before.

I'm sobbing into my arms as bullets wiz over my head, and I hear a crackle rod's snap before the sound of a body hitting the ground. I'm afraid to look. I know I'll see either Gray or Coach Brunt.

But it's Ivy.

A scream tears itself from my throat, blood pouring over my vision as yet another wave of heat eats up my veins. I can't stand, can barely think. My limbs go numb, and it's not until my left arm loses its feeling that I realize I had been able to move it.

Again, the scenery changes. I feel the familiar coldness of the VILE table under me, rope holding me down. I can't see, still blinded by the blood and the darkness in my eyes.

"Hello, Black Sheep," a voice whispers, deep and grating and distorted.

I whimper as the fear and the heat finally devour me. 

Carmen didn't understand why everything hurt. She was huddled up between Zack and Ivy again, so that could explain the excess amount of warmth. But it didn't give reason for the sweat beading on her skin, or the pounding in her chest...

Something was wrong.

"Ivy," she whispered, her throat dry and raw. She tasted salt on her tongue, evidence of the tears she'd shed in the dream. "Ivy." Carmen lifted her head weakly, groaning as the simple action caused nausea to spike.

The red head beside her was breathing softly, her lashes flittering occasionally. Her brother sat on the thief's other side, his lanky arm stretched across the two of them. Carmen knew there was no waking him when he was knocked out like that, so her only chance was to get Ivy up.

"Ivy," she repeated forcefully, the word grating painfully against her throat. "Wake up." Her vision was already dimming as she said this. It was getting too hard to stay conscious. "Ivy, I need you. Something's wrong."

"I-what...?" Her blue eyes squinted open, and she yawned. "Carm? What's up?"

"Help," was all she managed.

Ivy shot up, immediately wide awake. "Carmen? What's wrong?" She took in her friends sweaty, bedraggled state and the heaving of her breaths. "Uh oh," she muttered, placing her hand against the thief's forehead. Ivy hissed and whipped it back, cursing under her breath. She smacked her brother a few times -hard- and ran to the kitchen.

Zack slowly sat up, looking rumpled and annoyed. "Ivy, what the heck?"

"Stuff it, Zack Attack. Carm's sick. Get Shadowsan," she ordered from the other room.

His eyes widened and he glanced to Carmen. "Crap," he growled, helping her lay down on the couch. "Crap crap crap. Carmen, try to stay awake, okay? Ivy'll be back in a second." He ran off towards the ninja's room. "Shadowsan!"

Carmen watched him go, blood pounding in her head as her eyelids threatened to close. Ivy appeared in front of her, holding a thermometer in one hand and a cold cloth in the other.

"Open," she muttered, sticking the metal rod under Carmen's tongue. "The fever that I mentioned earlier is back, Carm, and it's pissed off." She arranged the cloth on her forehead, brushing away sticky strands of hair. She then plucked out the thermometer, glancing down at its readings.

Ivy's face paled.

She cursed again, running to grab a bottle of ice water and medicine. "Swallow," she ordered, holding the small tablet and the bottles nozzle to Carmen's lips. The thief choked it and the water down, fighting to keep them that way as another wave of heat washed over her, making her shiver.

There was a faint sound of people talking, and Carmen thought she recognized Shadowsan's voice, though her thoughts were too muddled to make much out.

"...temperature...readings?"

"102 degrees Fahrenheit...might need...consider...hospital..."

"Only if...gets worse."

Carmen felt her eyes close, letting the gentle crackling in her body rock her away.

Ivy only let herself breathe lightly once Carmen's temperature stopped threatening to climb. It was 0.3 from reaching 104 when it finally slowed, then lowered slightly. She sighed, holding back tears and sitting on the couch next to Carmen's sleeping form. The thief was wrapped tightly in several blankets, though she still shivered violently.

"She's gotten better, right?" Zack asked, dark shadows lining his eyes.

Ivy nodded, tossing the washcloth to him. "Soak this in cold water and then ring it out, but not too much." He obeyed, taking the now warm scrap to the kitchen sink. Ivy turned back to Carmen, sighing yet again. "You really need to stop doing this to us, Carm," she whispered, wiping sweat from her cheeks. "Getting kidnapped, almost dying from blood loss, coma, trying to overdose, now a dangerously high fever. It's almost as if the world's against you." She attempted at a joke, if only to lift her mood, but it had the opposite affect.

Shadowsan appeared, his own face tired. "When can she have more medicine?" he asked, dark eyes glittering sadly.

"Couple hours."

He just nodded as Zack came back, handing the now cold washcloth to his sister.

"You two should try to go back to sleep," Ivy muttered, using it to wipe away beads of sweat and laying it across the thief's burning skin. "It's only two in the morning."

"You have to sleep, too," Zack argued, selling it with a deep yawn.

"Nope. I'm staying right here," she said, her tone making it clear that there would be no arguing.

They didn't, but neither went back to bed, either.


	39. Reliving VILE

Four days and three painful nights later, Carmen found herself laying on a rug next to the couches, Zack and Ivy on either side of her with Shadowsan perched on the armrest. The red laptop, which rested on the coffee table, showed Player's tired face. In her fever induced haze, the thief had started to talk about random things to the siblings, and once Shadowsan and the young hacker had joined them, the conversation quickly turned to the one thing Carmen wouldn't open up about.

Her recent miserable stay with VILE.

Even in her sick and weakened state, the Latina's mind had cleared almost instantly when Ivy hesitantly asked for a full account of what happened.

"Of... wh-what happened, huh?" she choked out, attempting to force a smile.

Ivy must've seen the fear behind it, because she rubbed her shoulder reassuringly. "I know you don't want to talk about it, Carm, but you need to rip the bandaid off. We're..." She trailed off, then cleared her throat and whispered, "We're always here for you."

Carmen gave a shuddering sigh and closed her eyes. The medicine she had taken earlier was just now setting in, and a part of her relaxed as the heat rolling over her was dulled. "No, you're right, Ivy. It's not like I've healed at all yet, you know, mentally. Reliving it won't reverse any progress, because there is none. There's no point in not talking," she muttered bitterly.

"If you're not ready, no one here is forcing you. It's just... not gonna get easier any time soon."

"No, it's fine." And besides, I do have to talk. "What do you wanna know?"

Shadowsan spoke up, his voice sad. "Start at the beginning. That night in France."

Carmen sucked in a deep breath, blowing it out as slowly as she could if only to stall for a bit longer. "You all saw what happened. I'm fighting, VILE shows up, they threaten Zack, Ivy, and the entire Louvre Museum-"

"And you, Red," Player says, interrupting the rising anger in her words. "They held your life at gunpoint. Remember?"

"Yeah, I remember," she mumbled somewhat darkly. "Doesn't mean I care."

Silence.

The thief closed her eyes again, refusing to make eye contact. "They knocked me out once I agreed to their terms, and the last thing I remember from that is-" She paused to swallow. "The look of pure rage on Ivy's face."

The Bostonian squeezed her hand from where she sat on her right.

"When I woke up -oh, I dunno, hours, maybe days later- I was shackled to a table. Coach... Brunt Dr. Bellum came in, talking about an 'operation'." She shivered just thinking about it. "At one point Bellum tried to straight up cut open my arm, and when I freaked the scissors cut my hair instead. So, yes, this was an accident." Carmen attempted at a half-hearted laugh, the sound lifeless and empty. "Anyway, I kept being a stubborn pain-"

"Like always," Zack said lightly.

"Yes, like always," the thief agreed. "They got tired of that real quick, and Bellum got out a paralyzing injection, and, uh..." She paused, gulping in deep breaths of air, voice lowering. "I couldn't move. They put a microchip in my arm. They never bothered to keep it clean or to numb it or anything. Honestly, I wouldn't have expected anything different from VILE."

Ivy tensed, cheeks slightly flushed with anger. "That's why you can't even move it anymore?"

"Yeah."

"I'm gonna kill them," she seethed.

Carmen winced, the images and scene of her last stand off against Brunt circling and burning her closed eyes. "Don't worry, I took care of that for you."

Ivy's eyes widened as she realized what she'd said, and she hurriedly snuggled closer as Zack did the same. "Sorry, Carm. I- I'm sorry." She buried her face in the thief's sweatshirt hood, trying to keep the waver out of her voice as she whispered, "It's okay. I'm sorry."

Carmen bit back the trembling she could feel in her bones and and gripped Ivy's hand tighter. "It's fine."

Shadowsan furrowed his brow. "Continue," he encouraged quietly.

And so she did. She recounted the beatings. The mind wipe. The taunts of McKenzie Wolfe. The constant lies, and confusion, and pain.

The sorrow of being purely and utterly alone.

The terror of never knowing if she'd live through the next day.

And then the haunting realization when she no longer cared.

The acceptance from herself that she had simply given up.

Ivy listened silently as Carmen told them of her time at VILE, her anger and sadness battling each other in her heart to be the strongest. In the end, neither won, for her horror beat the two back as the thief's story came to a close.

"It made sense. Remove the microchip, and I'd be able to leave. But I had to make the cut myself, and it had to be deep enough for me to reach it." Carmen's gray-blue eyes had yet to open, and she only screwed them tighter as tears formed on her dark lashes. 

It was the hitch in her words that proved Ivy right.

This hurt Carmen so much more than she was ever willing to admit.

"You guys know the rest, I'm assuming. I removed the chip, VILE tried to stop me, and Coach Brunt confronted me..." Carmen winced and sat up, her eyes wild and brimming with tears.

Ivy followed, startled, as the red head pushed herself shakily to her feet and stumbled to a wall, crumbling against it as sudden heavy sobs shook her feverish body.

"I can't, I can't, I can't," Carmen whimpered, hiding her pale face behind her good hand and tucking into a ball. She was shivering violently, sweat beading along her brow as tears rolled down her flushed cheeks. "I can't, I can't, please," she repeated, the words dissolving into haunted wails. "I can't."

The world is spinning. Fire is eating away at my flesh as I feel my self cry, huddled up in a corner. My heart hurts. It hurts so much.

"I can't."

Everything hurts.

"I killed her."

My soul is throbbing in my gut.

"I can't do this."

My own heart is screaming at me.

Murderer. Murerer. Murderer.

"Why did you leave VILE if you were just going to end up killing in the first place?"

I don't know.

I don't know.

I can't let them see me broken like this. They need me to be strong. I have to be strong. They don't know what to do anymore.

I don't know what to do anymore.

So I'll just... smile for them.

Tomorrow.

I feel myself sink into this pit, one that I've been avoiding for as long as I can remember. It's comfort and darkness, similar but different to the one that swallowed and almost killed me at VILE. Except this time... I'm falling with a promise to myself. 

To show them all what they want.

There's a soft click in my brain as I fall limp against the wall, my body shutting down. I hear them talking to me, but I don't listen.

Because tomorrow, everything will be OK.

I've almost convinced myself, even.


	40. Headstones and Trauma

Carmen stared at herself in the bathroom's mirror, resisting the urge to flop down on her bed and never get back up. She sighed tiredly, tugging at the seams of her black sweater and running her hand through her newly shortened auburn hair. She'd asked Ivy to cut it just under her shoulder blades, like it had been during her stay with VILE. It was still longer than Black Sheep's had been, but much shorter than she'd gotten used to keeping it as Carmen Sandiego. She couldn't put it up herself -for obvious reasons- and had opted to just clip it back with a small hair pin.

Giving a heartbroken smile to her reflection, the thief rested her hand on the mirror and closed her eyes tightly. Today was going to be hard -no, more like awful- and she was eager to get it over with. Eager to just take her sleeping pill and go to bed.

"Carm? Want help with your hair?" Ivy's voice spoke from outside the door, soft and almost motherly.

Carmen sucked in a deep breath and plastered a small smile over her lips, pushing against the door handle and stepping back out. "That'd be great, thank you."

Ivy frowned, suspicion and worry fighting each other in her indigo eyes. "You sure you're up for this? One of us is always willing to go with you, Carm. It might help to have some support."

She shook her head, snagging a hair brush off of the counter and a hair band. Ivy followed her to the couch, and they settled on the cushions with Carmen's back to her friend.

"And you're sure you're gonna be OK today?" Ivy asked quietly, plucking the pins from the thief's hair and swiftly running the brush through it before gathering it into her fingers.

"I'll be fine," Carmen lied, offering the black band for the Bostonian to take. "And besides, Shadowsan will be joining me eventually."

Ivy sighed, dropping the topic momentarily to pull the auburn curls into a loose pony tail, keeping some of the strands out to frame her face. "You know, I think I did a pretty good job with your trim yesterday, if I do say so myself."

The thief gave a soft laugh, feeling the smallest piece of the weight on her heart lift. "You really did. Maybe one day I'll want it back down to my waist, but until then, the change is nice." She stopped, and the two sat in comfortable silence for a moment before Carmen turned her head. "Thank you, Ivy."

The red head smiled sadly, giving her a tight hug. "Of course, Carmen," she whispered. "Now, you just need to take your medicine, right? And then you'll be off?"

"Yeah, and I'll grab my shoes on the way out."

"Okay. Why don't you do that, and I'll get the pill and a glass of water?" Ivy stood, helping Carmen to do the same before heading to the kitchen.

She watched her go, sighing and turning towards the door of the warehouse. Her black combat boots sat waiting for her, next to a black umbrella. She couldn't drive with only one hand, and her friends had decided to respect her request of being alone today, so she would walk in the rain to her destination.

"One step at a time," she muttered to herself, slipping her socked feet into her sturdy shoes and stuffing the laces into them as well. No point in trying to tie them.

"Here," Ivy said, coming up with a cup of water and a small medicine pill.

Carmen murmured a quiet 'thank you' and threw her head back, popping the pill in and then accepting the glass to down its contents. Ivy took it back, then gave her another hug before the thief could leave. Zack quickly joined it, then Shadowsan, and Carmen had a feeling that had Player been able to come a few days early, he would've dove right in, too.

"Take care, Carm," Zack whispered, squeezing her good hand and taking a moment to adjust her sling before stepping back. "Don't catch a cold out there, kay? I don't think your fever needs a friend."

"Of course," she said, letting a soft smile curl her lips. Ivy gave her yet another hug, then handed her the umbrella.

"We're always here for you," she repeated sadly.

The thief could only nod with the tears threatening in her throat. Shadowsan noticed this, but didn't say anything, only laying his hand on her shoulder.

"I will join you soon, Carmen."

"I know," she choked out, leaning into his hand when he brushed away a small rebel tear. "Thank you."

He nodded, then opened the door for her, and she stepped out into the rain.

The cemetery wasn't far, but Carmen found herself walking slowly and even stopping randomly, if only to stall. She knew that there wasn't actually a grave stone for Coach Brunt there, but somehow that fact only made her journey worse. She had time to mull over her past hardship, and found herself thinking back to the older woman's last words to her, the last time she had ever spoken and would ever speak again.

"Oh, no, you don't," Brunt growled as she backhanded me across the stomach, sending me crumbling to the ground.

I screamed as fire erupted along the wounds on my abdomen, fresh blood warming my shirt and skin. A cough forced its way up my throat, and it rattled my body as Brunt grabbed my shoulders and hefted me into the air.

Carmen winced at the memory. Everything had been so hazy when she was trying to get away. There was too much pain, too much anger, for her to possibly even have the chance of thinking straight.

"You've done enough damage for one visit, Lambkins. I'll just have to make sure you can't do that ever again." She lowered my face down to mine, green eyes glinting with malice. "Did you ever wonder why you were suddenly so much better at fighting just now, Sandiego?"

I could only cough and swallow the blood in my mouth.

There had been too much confusion, too much roaring in her ears.

Brunt's voice lowered even further into something soft and dark and terrifying. "We didn't just take your memories," she whispered. "We gave you new ones. You'll never know what to trust anymore. Not your friends, not the world around you, not yourself."

I gritted my teeth as I tried to register what Brunt was saying, but the pain and the anger were both too much. So instead I just lifted the crackle rod I'd managed to hold onto and turned its dial to the highest setting.

And she'd shot.

She shot because it was really the only thing she could do. Kill, or be killed. Hurt, or be hurt. But now... the entire scene was still a muddled mess. Carmen knew that she had heard Coach say something about her memories.

Something that scared her enough to kill the person telling it to her.

Carmen could only hope that it would all come back with time, because there were still scenes in her head that didn't line up with everything else.

It didn't make sense that she'd been at that cafe in Sydney with Gray twice. She remembered the whole conversation with Player, she remembered walking away. And yet there was still a bright, vivid night in her mind of her sitting down with him and talking.

That couldn't be right.

And what about when she crashed her motorcycle after getting drunk at two in the morning? That piece defiantly didn't fit.

For one, her bike was fine, last she saw it. And she didn't drink.

Had she really bought rice bowls for Zack and Ivy in Indonesia? That could be a dream for all she knew. And why had she left VILE if she had passed her final exams, right along with the rest of her class?

Because you didn't pass.

Carmen stopped, glancing around. It was just her and the cold, drizzling rain.

Then why was she so sure of what she'd just heard?

Shivering, she continued on, shifting her grip on the umbrella's handle. Not passing made sense, oddly enough. She could picture an entire conversation she'd had with Gray after- wait, why was she calling him Gray? Graham had hated nicknames.

No no no, that wasn't right either.

He was definitely Gray. He'd had to correct her every time she accidentally called him that because he couldn't remember...

Just like her, in a way.

So obviously, I can't even trust my own brain right now.

She suddenly perked. Yes, that was it! VILE had given her memories as well, that's what Brunt had said. She remembered now, when she'd overdosed that night, she had been wondering why she'd even done that in the first place, and it was because... VILE had done something to her that changed what she knew, how she thought.

Carmen frowned down at a puddle, toeing the water lightly. A headache was working it's way through her skull, pounding and beating like there was no tomorrow. She groaned as it suddenly spiked, dropping the umbrella to massage her temples. Rain water battered her, dripping down her face and freezing her exposed skin before thawing again.

The pain subsided quickly, and she whimpered as she tried to recall what she'd been thinking about just moments before.

Nothing.

Giving a tired sigh, Carmen scooped up the dark umbrella off of the soaking ground and hefted it over her shoulder, continuing her walk. A sense of major déjà vu had settled over her, and she would just have to hope that she'd remember her previous train of thought. It had felt important, something about... her own head.

Weird, and oddly terrifying, she mused.

That when I try to think about remembering, I can't remember.

The cemetery came into view, and Carmen froze as she took it in. Dark gray headstones lined a cobblestone path that led farther into the grounds, starting at the opening of the intricately detailed black gates and making its way through the rain and soaking grass. It was gloomy and depressing, but Carmen supposed that was fitting.

Granted, she'd much rather be visiting her mother's grave in South America than the non-existing one of Coach Brunt, but-

Wait, but my mother's not dead.

Carmen forced down the rising panic in her gut, promising herself to come back to it later as she looked for a side entrance to come in through. It was farther than she'd expected, and the hems of her pants had gathered dew and rain water from the unkept grass. Too tired to feel even a little annoyed, she walked slowly through the cemetery on a different, smaller path, glancing around for an empty area, void of headstones. 

The rain had slowed to a light, piercing drizzle, and she lowered her umbrella to fold it back up. It beat glumly against her already damp hair, dripping softly down her neck. She shivered, hugging her limp arm to her chest, and sped up her pace ever so slightly.

The less time she spent here, the better.

Spotting a vacant plot of green, Carmen stopped to look at before heading over. It was small but looked about big enough to hold a grave of its own.

It wouldn't be big enough to hold someone as burly as Coach Brunt.

The thought must have been the trigger for a hidden and unknown breaking point, because Carmen dropped to her knees, the umbrella thumping dully down besides her. She doubled over with a sharp gasp, her right elbow planted in the wet ground as tears pricked her gray-blue eyes. Water instantly seeped into her sweater, but she didn't have the strength to care.

She had killed her.

Why should she care about anything?

Carmen gave in to the unbearable weight squeezing her chest, gasping for air as stinging sobs racked her body and shook her to the ground. She curled up on her side, clinging to herself as the trauma of what she'd done rolled through her.

She had ended the life of another.

And it had been the person who she had once seen as her mother-figure.

There really was no healing for her, was there?

A warm hand in her shoulder jolted her from the living nightmare that was her breakdown, and she threw open her eyes to sputter and attempt to jolt to her feet. Shadowsan grasped her shoulders, holding her to him as she flailed in surprise.

"Sshh, Carmen, it's just me. It's OK, please, deep breaths."

She sucked in a lungful as he instructed, leaning into his arms with a deep shudder. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she whimpered, shivering. "You weren't supposed to see me l-like this."

Shadowsan just buried her dripping form further into his embrace, holding her tightly and tucking wet strands of hair behind her ear. "It's ok, Carmen. I'm here."

"Please don't tell them. Please," she begged, covering her face best she could with just one hand. "This would hurt them so much. Please. Zack and-and Ivy, they, they can't... it would break... I don't want to hurt them... anymore."

Shadowsan closed his eyes, rocking the two of them back and forth gently under the softening rain. "I won't," he choked out. "So long as you let me help you. Promise me, Carmen. Promise that you'll let me help you."

She bit back a wail, clinging to her father figure as he helped her to stand.

"Let's go home, Carmen. Staying here any longer will only hurt you."

With trembling fingers, the young thief grabbed her umbrella from the grass and allowed herself to be pulled away from the empty ground. "I'm sorry," she whispered, stopping to bow her head for a second. "I'm sorry that you hurt me so much. And I'm sorry that in the end I had to hurt you."

Shadowsan gave a sad smile, resting another hand on her shoulder. "I would say that she knows, Carmen, but I feel that you don't care. So trust me when I say that I know you are not a killer, just as I am not."

She blinked up at him, tears blurring her tired eyes. "Maybe you know, or you think you know," Carmen rasped. "But that does not mean that I know or believe." With those words, she felt a piece of herself slip away, as if it had never been. Carmen knew this. And she'd never be the same.

Shadowsan seemed to realize this too, because he wrapped her in a hug. "I am so sorry, Carmen. I promise I will do all in my power to help you." His breath caught, and he seemed to be biting back tears of his own. "Now please, let's go home."

And so they did.

END OF BOOK ONE


	41. Epilogue

VILE Compound in Amazon Rain Forest, Brazil, South America

The 26th of August, Two-Thousand and Twenty-One

08/26/2021

Six days after Carmen escaped

46 days (a little over a month and a half) before chapter 40

Countess Cleo, Professor Maelstrom, Dr. Bellum, and Roundabout stood on the roof of the Brazil hideout, the four of them watching the slowly darkening jungle trees before them. They all stood apart from each other, their own thoughts circling in their heads in the same way, but all drastically different.

They were all grieving, of course, and angry -furious, really. And yet...

Roundabout was silent and still, his facial features pulled taught. He hadn't known Brunt as well as the others had.

Maelstrom paced, muttering curses and threats under his breath in Swedish. He had lost a member of his twisted "family".

Bellum had her tablet out, already planning their next move, determined not to let them all fall behind. Brunt's loss had forced her into a temporary state of madness, but she was past that and willing to fight.

Cleo stood next to Roundabout, angry tears gathering in her eyes as she promised to wreak havoc upon a certain red-clad thief.

And Coach Brunt lay buried somewhere far in the rain forest.

Maelstrom eventually spoke, coming up behind Bellum and motioning for her tablet. "I see that we have fallen behind in very pressing matters, Saira," he muttered, glancing sadly over the screen. "We must pay our final respects, then vacate immediately."

Countess Cleo whipped around to face him at this. "You can't be serious, Gunnar," she spat.

He lowered his head in a manner that they had never seen from him before, and Cleo took a step back, wincing slightly. Maelstrom was a very proud man, and to see him like his was a slap to the face for all of them.

"I'm... sorry," Cleo muttered, smoothing the folds of her green dress. "Please, Saira, tell us what we need to know."

Dr. Bellum nodded halfheartedly, taking her device back from Maelstrom and swiping her gloved ginger across the screen a few times before finding what she needed. "What Gunnar said is valid. This location has been compromised, as was our Academy building, so we must leave as soon as possible. The hard drive that Brunt had had on her person was taken by one of Carmen's crew, as she was reported to be unconscious almost immediately after striking."

Roundabout raised an eyebrow and finally spoke. "Reported?"

"Yes." Bellum sighed and rubbed her face. "Carmen got me out of her way quickly after I tried to bring her back inside, and I did not see any of the events that followed."

Tangible silence.

The scientist cleared her throat. "I am not exactly proud of this detail. And as I was saying, the enemy has her hands on all of our information once gain, and we must be prepared to deal with the consequences that will surely follow. Luckily, this time, we have a much better way to fight back. Perhaps our plan that lead to all of this was unreliable and veered off in a completely different direction than planned, but-"

"If you are about to suggest something similar to this plan you are currently speaking of," Roundabout interrupted, "than I'm not exactly thrilled to hear it."

Bellum scowled. "Well you're about to, anyway." She huffed something else under her breath, turning back to her device. "When we first had Carmen in our clutches, I did a full body scan and found a tracker that must have been injected into her leg just days before, as the tissue around it was still healing. The technology was fairly old, and I struggled to get a solid grip on its code, but I made sure I'd be able to trace it much later in the future. My thoughts are that she left a way for her crew to find her, which is how she got away in the first place.

The trick to this is that Bla- Carmen made the grave error of underestimating me and what I am capable of in the first place. I left the tracker in her leg and did not mention it to anyone, even my own team of operatives."

"And why, exactly, is this important?" Cleo inquired quietly.

"Because I can track Sandiego, as soon as she comes back into range and I lock a more solid hold on the chip still in her body. And want to know why this is such a huge step for us?" Bellum didn't wait for any of them to respond, instead finding the strength to give a wicked smile. "When I interrogated her with... well, when she was interrogated, I asked her to tell me where the location of her HQ was. Her reply was "why would I tell you?" instead of saying that she didn't have one."

Maelstrom barked a harsh laugh, his eyebrows shooting up before furrowing right back down. "I can't believe she didn't catch herself. We taught her better than that."

"We did, indeed," Bellum agreed, gesturing wildly around her with a gloved hand as if everyone would understand what she was implying. "But sadly she was in a state of hallucination during this time, so I don't really blame her. All that matters is that we know she has a home base, and," The scientist merely shrugged, the simple action not matching her huge revelation. "we have a way to find her."

The four of them all smiled, now understanding the enormity of what Bellum was saying.

With a bit of healing and planning, and once they cleaned up after all the scrambling they surely would be doing for a while yet, Carmen Sandiego was as good as theirs.

VILE wasn't done-not quite yet.


	42. Acknowledgments

Ugh I feel too fancy calling this page "acknowledgments", but that's really the only thing to name it, sadly.

ANYway, time to get to what I'm supposed to be getting to!

THANK YOU

I CAN NEVER SAY THIS ENOUGH

Thank you so so SO MUCH to EVERYONE who read, gave kudos to, and commented on Home!!!!

There are a bunch of people who I want to call out and thank by name, but I'm afraid of leaving anyone out because EVERYONE NEEDS A TROPHY FOR BEING AWESOME.

AAAAAAHHH

(And I'm sure the people who helped me the most know who they are)

BTW, I'm sure the whole END OF BOOK ONE thing didn't go unnoticed by anyone, and yes, I want to confirm that there WILL be a book two. Ya know, later.

Once I finish writing it lol

Special thanks goes to my cousin Maddie, who had a dream that provided me with the inspiration for this story!

Just to wrap up, I'll be answering and clarifying any questions/confusions from you guys about Home and book two if you have them, so just drop a comment or private message me and WE'LL HAVE A CHAT! :3

If you were wondering, yes, I'm actually not done with HOME yet, there's a couple things like Extras or whatever to add and possibly a coughcoughalternateendingtothisthatdidn'tkillBruntcoughcough basically you'll know when I'm done when I say so.

Heh

sorry XDAnd of course I love you all!

Smiles cause why not,

-Pug_Moneyz55 (Bex)


	43. Extras

Art of McKenzie Wolfe

This is the outfit that McKenzie(Carmen) is wearing when she first goes outside and gets her memories back

https://em.wattpad.com/0e4c6eefcac7947a40e674b800b9ca2c6427a75c/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f56752d4a7a65774e6c7a766d64513d3d2d3836373831373830372e313630373630613834313766393962653339383535323730323939382e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280

This is the outfit that McKenzie(Carmen) is wearing when she first goes outside and gets her memories back. Just ya know, with shoes. I also realize that the bandage is on her right arm instead of her left, but when I first drew this I was planning for her right arm to be hurt, and I just changed that later.

Alternate Ending:

Before I actually get started on this, let me tell you when it happens. In Home, what you have read, Carmen picks up two crackle rods with the intention of knocking Coach Brunt out and escaping. As you know, this doesn't happen, and things get really bad really quick. In my original writing, this isn't even CLOSE to what goes down. The alternate ending picks up at the point where Carmen is grabbing the crackle rods. Here you go. Enjoy. 😉

Carmen dodged yet another one of Coach Brunt's fists, scrambling to grab a second crackle rod from a fallen operative as her former mentor lunged after her. She whipped around at the last second, adjusting the two stick's settings as she shoved them both into the cloth of Coach Brunt's track suit. The VILE instructor froze and growled painfully as Carmen turned the dials up even higher, electricity snapping around her. The larger woman scowled, fury hidden into her green eyes as she fell to the finally fell to the ground, immediately unconscious.

Breathing heavily, Carmen let the crackle rid drop from her shaking hands. She glanced around wearily as the adrenaline faded from her system, causing her whole body to ache in places she hadn't known possible. Several operatives were scattered across the clearing, also knocked down and out. Many had drawn back and were now eyeing her with fear, as if wondering if they should attack her again.

The thief laughed at their cowardice and gave them all a particular vulgar gesture. "You don't control me!" she yelled almost happily, picking the knife up and chucking it to the compound. "You never did, and you never will!"

Carmen resisted the urge to spew more curses at them and turned away from VILE, walking painfully to the sunrise-lit jungle trees.

The chapter would've ended here, with the next one called: Not a Happy Reunion originally going like this.

Ivy ran to Carmen, scooping the frail red head into her arms. Her friends gave a weak cry of pain as her wounded arm bumped against Ivy's own, causing the Bostonian released her and kept her from crashing to the ground.

"Carm? Carmen, I need you to look at me." Zack helped his sister pull the thief to her feet as blood dripped down her hand, and she blinked at them with tired eyes.

"She needs immediate medical attention," Shadowsan instructed.

"There should be a hospital just-" Ivy started, eyes wide and scared.

"No," Carmen interrupted, her voice dreadfully quiet. "No hospital. Not this time. I just want to go home." She started to tremble, tears lining her eyes. "I've been dealing with this pain as long as I can barely remember, it makes no difference to me. Please," she whispered. "I just want to go home." The thief's eyes rolled up into her head as she crumbled, muscles going slack.

"Carmen!" Panic shot through Ivy, and she scrambled to catch her limp frame as Zack did the same, and Shadowsan appeared in front of them, first aide kit in hand.

"Set her down gently," he muttered, concern glimmering in his dark expression. He got to work as the siblings watched in silent terror.

"Shadowsan, what are we going to do?" Ivy whispered, her gaze flicking over the scars and blood marring Carmen's pale skin.

"Despite her wishes and my want to respect them, I do not currently have the tools to treat shock, trauma, and major blood loss. We need to get her to the nearest hospital as soon as possible."

"Okay." They both nodded, neither willing to argue.

Next chapter, called: A Thief's Return

Carmen woke with a start, blinking groggily against the dim sunlight that was streaming into her eyes. Letting out a small moan, she moved to sit up, but a familiar pain in her left arm caused her to thump back down to the red sheets, whimpering.

Wait, red sheets?

The thief glanced around at her surroundings, emotion pricking her eyes as she realized she was in their San Diego headquarters, laid out in her room. In her bed. Not a cot. Not a cold concrete floor in a dark, hopeless cell, haunted with the metallic scent of her own blood.

She had escaped VILE alive.

Carmen gave a broken smile to the ceiling, tears sliding down to the corners of her mouth as a laugh started to bubble itself in her throat. "Ivy," she yelled softly through deep breaths, her shoulders quivering. "Ivy, Zack," she repeated. "I'm awake." She had just finished her words when warm arms were suddenly wrapped around her neck as Zack and Ivy appeared.

"Carm," they both whispered, their blue eyes smiling and filled with tears. Ivy cradled Carmen closer, sobbing. Zack helped the thief sit up.

"You've been asleep for two weeks," he whispered.

Carmen blinked. "Two weeks?" Shock resonated through her. How had she possibly lost even more time?

Zack nodded, biting his lip. "You lost a lot of blood, Carm. As soon as they told us that your vitals were strong, we got you out of there as soon as we could, but Shadowsan said that if you didn't wake up from your coma soon enough he'd take matters into his own hands."

She paused. "So you did bring me to a hospital?"

Zack nodded again as Ivy put a hand over her mouth. "We almost lost you to the infection in your arm, it caused a fever that kept threatening us with 106 degrees." She shuddered, blinking back tears. "Can-can you move it?"

Carmen shifted out of Ivy's embrace to look down at herself. "I'm... afraid to even try," she admitted, eyes running down the thick bandages that reached her wrist.

"That's OK," Zack said, his voice weak.

The thief only managed a slight nod, which probably wasn't very reassuring.

After a moment, Ivy sucked in a breath and glanced up. "Carm, what did they do to you?"

Carmen shivered and laid back down on the pillows. "Tell me how long I was gone, first."

The siblings glanced at each other, eyes swirling with emotion. "Six weeks, two days, and five hours, give or take a few," Zack responded sadly.

The red head sighed. "I didn't know how long it had been." She paused, then closed her eyes. "They did a lot of stuff. Not all of it was terrible, just... most of it." Wincing at the painful memories, Carmen told them of her time with VILE. Her mind had been wiped, her back whipped, her arm practically maimed, her spirit broken. And yet...

Here she was.

Safe, in the arms of her family, with hopefully thousands upon thousands of miles between her and VILE. Maybe later she'd have to explain to Shadowsan why she had made him leave her, or fly herself out to Niagara Falls so that Player could yell at her or hug her if he wanted. But that was later.

Carmen closed her eyes, choking back small tears as Zack and Ivy squeezed her hands lightly. "We'll talk in the morning, Carm," they whispered.

She nodded, her mind already clouding over with fatigue. But before she could nod off, Carmen said, "Zack? Ivy?" 

Their footsteps stopped, indicating that they were listening.

"I really missed you." She didn't hear their responses as the first restful sleep she'd had in a long time claimed her.

Welp, that's what would've happened had I not killed off Coach Brunt.

Yep.

Sorry.

Anyway, that scene does not relate to ANYTHING in the actual writing, please remember that. Or, if you want to keep the happy ending in mind and forget all the angst I put you through, go ahead and do that, don't read book two. (Shrug) Your choice cough cough *Not Really* cough cough.

Now, continuing on!

https://youtu.be/PWVTfNz45GE

The above video is a podcast on YouTube about Carmen, it's basically a review/reaction podcast by Crimson Sin, it's super good and I would recommend it HIGHLY. He's such a fanboy and so in love with Carmen right along with the rest of us, it's literally so funny and adorable. XD

https://youtu.be/2SYdCUdL2Fw

Now, THIS video is Marco Polo by The Relay Company. Really good song, I'm including it because it mentions Carmen Sandiego in it.

I don't really need any other reason than that, do I?

No, I don't, and you know it.

Now, by special request of a big CS fan like myself (you know who you are) here's the title for book two! Please note that this is MY idea and I fully claim it, please don't steal it, that's just rude. And, if you did, everyone else reading this would know it was mine first and would help me hunt you down. So.

Official title for the sequel to HOME:

Just Let Me Protect You // Book Two

You're welcome.

Anyway, I believe that concludes the extras, and, therefore, officially concludes Home in its totality! Again, thank you SO much to everyone who read, commeneted, and voted and added Home to reading lists, that's a huge honor for me and one of the only reasons I kept writing.

I love you all! Have a wonderful day (sorry sorry, sandiego-tastic day, almost forgot to pull that one last tine) and STAY SAFE!

I look forward to seeing what you thought of HOME!

And, if anyone wants to guess who the new faculty member is, I'd love to see what you come up with. On to book two!

Love you!

-Pug_Moneyz55 (Bex)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that concludes book one of Home! There are more details to be found on Wattpad, but of course this will do, too! Please know that the second book won't b out for a LONG time cause I won't actually transfer it to AO3 until after it's been written and possibly after it's on Wattpad... but anyway thank you guys so much!!!

**Author's Note:**

> I know it's kinda boring, please just keep reading, it gets SO much better.  
> Thanks for finishing the first part!


End file.
